Managing the Groundwater Impacts

of Construction in Sydney NSW

Greg Russell, Richard Green and
Chris Rumpf
Presentation outline

 Legislation
 Referral process
 Assessment considerations
 Problems arising from
development
 Agency requirements
 Some interesting examples
Legislation

 Water Act 1912 (NSW)

– Licence required to access groundwater (Part 5)
 Water Management Act 2000 (NSW)
– Access licence and approvals required (Part 3)
 Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW)
– Referral of Development Application to NSW Government agencies for
assessment where licence or permit required (Part 4)
– Referral of Major Project Application to NSW Government agencies for
conditions of approval (Part 3A)
 Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (NSW)
 Contaminated Land Management Act 1997 (NSW)
Referral process – how it is meant to work
 Development application lodged with
local council
 Council identifies need for
authorisation(s) and refers application
with documentation to relevant agency
under s.91 of the EP&A Act 1979
(NSW)
 Branches within agency with jurisdiction
over specified project activities prepare
combined response back to council with
General Terms of Approval (GTAs)
 Council incorporates GTAs into
development consent conditions
 Development proceeds in accordance
with conditions of consent
Referral process – where it goes wrong

 Council does not identify need for authorisation(s) and

development proceeds without appropriate conditions of
consent
 Development application does not identify presence of
groundwater, council does not refer proposal and development
proceeds without appropriate conditions of consent
 Excavation commences, groundwater inflows are found to be
significant and contractors attempt to obtain a temporary
construction dewatering licence at short notice without any
assessment at critical stage of construction
Assessment considerations
 Volume of groundwater to be extracted
 Permeability of subsurface materials
 Magnitude of groundwater level lowering
 Potential for groundwater dependent
ecosystems in the vicinity of the site
 Ambient quality of groundwater (e.g.
saline or aggressive water)
 Presence of actual acid sulphate soils or
potential acid sulphate soils
 Presence of contaminated groundwater
beneath the site and in the surrounding
area
Problems arising from development
 Fluctuating water table not taken into
account – raised groundwater levels
flow into basement areas through
unsealed joints and crevices
 Acid sulphate soils not taken into
account – impacts on waterways,
receiving environments and associated
species
 Contaminated groundwater not taken
into account – potential environmental
and human health risks
 Effects of water table lowering not taken
into account – damage to neighbouring
buildings and major infrastructure
Agency requirements
 Tanked basement construction required in highly permeable
ground where excavation requires shallow water table to be
lowered to make working environment safe
 Licence for temporary construction dewatering required to be
applied for and obtained from the NSW Office of Water prior to
excavation commencing
 Monitoring required throughout dewatering period and for a
short period after pumping ceases
 Licence is valid for defined period, after which time pumping is
unauthorised
 Proponent required to report results to the NSW Office of
Water at the expiry of the licence
What happens when it goes wrong…

…some interesting examples

Building settlement damage
 Eastern Distributor (2001)
– Recessed parkway
construction through sand
beds
– Shallow depth to groundwater
required extensive dewatering
– Significant internal and
external structural damage to
nearby buildings
– Commission of Inquiry
determined damage resulted
from vibration, dewatering or a
combination of both
– Road authority required to pay
for restoration
SOURCE: COMMISSION OF INQUIRY 2001
Development company bankrupt
 Northern Beaches (2010)
– Water-filled excavation
adjacent to residential
properties
– Development company
bankrupt, unable to continue
work at site
– Cessation of dewatering
allowed the basement
excavation to recharge from
shallow groundwater
– Pumping to make safe would
need top be continuous and
ongoing to counter recharge
SOURCE: CHANNEL 7 NEWS BULLETIN
Basement inundation (external cause)
 Paddington (2010)
– Water main fracture in ageing
distribution system beneath
suburban street
– Mains water pipe ruptured,
flooding surrounding area
– Inundation of basement car
park beneath neighbouring
building
– Water damage to parked cars
on street and in basement
– Repair costs and insurance
costs likely to be substantial

SOURCE: CHANNEL 7 NEWS BULLETIN

Contaminated groundwater ingress
 Canberra (1977)
– Centre Cinema patrons complained of
hydrocarbon fumes in the building
– Worker attempted to install extraction
fans in lift shaft
– An explosion caused by the use of
welding equipment killed the worker
– Cinema was out of commission for
months
– Numerous boreholes drilled to identify
source and prevent further explosions
– During the installation of new storage
tanks at a nearby petrol station 30,000
litres of petroleum was ‘lost’
SOURCE: SMITH 1998
Contaminated groundwater ingress
 Banksmeadow (2005)
– Contaminated groundwater seepage
identified by fumes in hotel cellar
– Cracks in the wall of the cellar allowed
contaminated seepage to flow across the
floor
– Hotel employees exposed to cancer-
causing chemicals and hydrogen sulphide
fumes
– WorkCover NSW arranged sealing of hole
and clean up measures

SOURCE: MURRAY 2005 (DAILY TELEGRAPH)

Taking it to the extreme…

…can they really do that?

Maximum use of small land area (6x7m)

BEFORE AFTER

SOURCE: WASLEY 2010 (DAILY TELEGRAPH)

Why use stairs when you can build a lift?

BEFORE AFTER

SOURCE: GORA 2010 (DAILY TELEGRAPH)

Inquiries
t: 1800 353 104
e: information@water.nsw.gov.au