WaterNSW shuts Blue Mountains dam over elevated traces of PFAS

Water authorities in New South Wales have closed a dam in the Blue Mountains after tests showed an elevated level of forever chemicals.

Transcript

00:00Water authorities in New South Wales have made the decision to disconnect the Medlow

00:06Dam in the Blue Mountains from the water network after they discovered slightly elevated levels

00:12of PFAS chemicals within the water supply.

00:15Medlow Dam was one of five dams tested in the Blue Mountains and was the only one to

00:20show those recorded levels of PFAS.

00:23Those tests in recent days were necessitated by results published earlier this month showing

00:27low levels of PFAS chemicals at several key water filtration sites across Sydney's water

00:32network.

00:33PFAS chemicals are a group of chemicals often used in fire suppression foam due to their

00:38resistance to heat, stains, grease and water.

00:42However, they take a long time to break down and can travel via water over long distances

00:47and there has been concerns raised recently over their effect, particularly the link to

00:51cancer.

00:52The ABC understands the level recorded at Medlow Dam is 0.09 micrograms per litre which

00:59exceeds the Australian guidelines of 0.07 micrograms per litre.

01:04New South Wales Water will be conducting an investigation into how that chemical came

01:09to be in the dam and how it's affecting the water supply.