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Islington Railyards
Fast facts
Status
Ongoing.
Location
Islington Railyard, Kilburn.
About the project
We are continuing testing and monitoring of groundwater and soil as part of the ongoing clean-up of the Islington railyards site.
Since 1997, studies have been underway to assess how site conditions have changed as part of the Commonwealth Remediation Program. This program was established when Australian National Railway properties were transferred to the Government of South Australia. These assessments showed the presence of two contaminants—trichloroethene (TCE) and hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) in the site’s groundwater.
We are continuing to work with the City of Port Adelaide Enfield, the EPA and a Site Contamination Auditor to ensure the risks are properly managed.
Learn about the contamination, its history, and safety measures.
Project background
The Islington Railyard, located on Churchill Road in Kilburn, was established in the 1890’s as the major railway workshop in South Australia. The site has historically been used for a range of industrial activities including the construction of locomotives and military equipment, maintenance of trains and other associated activities.
As part of the Commonwealth Remediation Program, assessments showed the presence of two contaminants—trichloroethene (TCE) and hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) in the site’s groundwater.
To safely manage the site, a groundwater pump and treatment system was put in place from August 1999 to 2002 as part of the environmental assessment. While it helped reduce some of the groundwater contamination, it was unable to completely remove all of it due to limitations of technology and the interaction with the ground conditions.
In January 2003, the Department for Infrastructure and Transport took over the management of the site contamination. Since then, we have carried out several additional investigations to better understand the site and the groundwater contamination. These efforts are helping to create the most effective plan for ongoing monitoring and management.
What's happening
In July 2014 and May 2017, we informed residents living near the Islington Railyard about the clean-up efforts for TCE contamination in groundwater and soil vapours due to past rail activities at the site.
Testing done between July 2014 and March 2023 confirmed that TCE levels in groundwater and soil vapours to the north and east of the site have remained stable.
An independent review by an Environment Protection Authority (EPA) accredited Site Contamination Auditor found that TCE levels are very low and do not pose a health risk to those on-site or in nearby residential, recreational and commercial areas.
Although the TCE contamination does not pose a health risk, ongoing monitoring of the site and nearby areas is to continue until 2027 to ensure that conditions, and therefore the very low risk, do not change. This monitoring follows a groundwater and soil vapour plan approved by the Site Contamination Auditor (in 2022) under a Voluntary Site Remediation Proposal (VRSP) with the EPA. The VRSP is expected to be approved by the EPA shortly.
Monitoring data will continue to be reviewed, in consultation with the Site Contamination Auditor, to decide if any further actions are needed after 2027. If groundwater conditions remain stable, monitoring frequency may be reduced or ceased.
In an additional risk mitigation measure, the Auditor recommends the EPA establish a Groundwater Prohibition Area (GPA) to prevent current and future landowners from using the contaminated groundwater.
Contact
If you have any questions regarding the Islington Railyards and the ongoing monitoring of the site:
Email: dit.engagement@sa.gov.au
Phone: 1300 794 880
If you have any questions in relation to the Groundwater Prohibition Area (GPA) and feedback process, please contact the EPA:
Email: engage.epa@sa.gov.au
Phone: 08 8429 7554