THE NSW government's botched handling of the heavily-contaminated Truegain site at Maitland has been likened to the 2011 chemical leaks from Orica's Kooragang Island plant that saw carcinogenic gases spew over Stockton homes for 30 minutes.
Speaking in parliament on Thursday, Maitland MP Jenny Aitchison warned Environment Minister Matthew Kean - who has agreed to visit the site - that if he failed to act immediately to order a clean-up, this would be his "Orica moment".
"We know that millions of litres of toxic waste stored both above and beneath the ground, in ageing rusting metal tanks, will be released if immediate action is not taken," she said.
"I will not stand by and let my community be the dumping ground for PFAS and other toxic chemicals.
"Some four years after the closure of the site, the NSW government is still no closer to stopping this imminent environmental disaster. The cost of such a disaster will be incalculable."
Documents obtained by the Newcastle Herald, under freedom of information laws, reveal that EPA staff have warned for years that the Rutherford site could be leaking into surrounding waterways and neighbouring properties, but no action has been taken.
There is still two million litres of PFAS-contaminated water stored in ageing tanks at the site.
According to the EPA, the landowner and former Truegain director, Bob Pullinger, wants to side-step a mass clean-up of the Rutherford industrial site claiming he has run out of money.
An EPA warning to residents not to eat eggs, drink milk or consume meat from animals that have had access to Fishery or Wallis creeks remains in place after toxic PFAS chemicals, as high as 22 times the recommended drinking water guideline, were found in Stony Creek.
Ms Aitchison, who praised community activists Ramona Cocco and Stephen Jordan for their lengthy fight against Truegain, said she wanted Mr Kean to see the "disgusting state of the plant".
"I am pleading with the minister to take the real action that is required to keep our community safe," she said.
"Words are cheap. Action is harder, but we need it now. Minister, don't let this be your Orica moment."
Following the Orica leaks in 2011, a damning parliamentary inquiry found that then environment minister Robyn Parker failed to report the pollution to the community immediately.
- This is part of Your Right to Know: A Newcastle Herald series - a newsroom-wide investigation built on freedom of information applications. If you have an idea for an investigation, email news@theherald.com.au
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