Client
Australian Government Department of Defence
Location
Edinburgh, South Africa
Key Services
Contaminated Land Management
Outcome
Aqueous film forming foams (AFFF) have been used internationally in firefighting activities since the 1960s. AFFF have historically contained per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).
JBS&G, a Geosyntec Company, has been engaged as lead consultant in the assessment of PFAS at the Edinburgh Defence Base. The scope has included development of a detailed conceptual site model (CSM), followed by intrusive investigations both on- and off-base, leading to a detailed assessment of risks and migration pathways. Given Defence’s commitment to engage with stakeholders, our team has included significant in-house stakeholder engagement and communications specialists who have worked alongside our technical experts in the fields of hydrogeology and human health and ecological risk assessment. We also work with remediation specialists to inform the community and other stakeholders of the progress of the investigations and key findings.
Whilst an emerging contamination issue, our practitioners have depth of project experience in relation to PFAS, having completed numerous investigations at many other (non-Defence) sites across Australia over the past five years. We are also completing a range of surface water and groundwater PFAS remediation projects, giving the client has access to the firm’s real-world remediation experience, not just lab-scale ideas, early-on in the program.
