The clean-up of a contaminated West End park could see as much as 13,500 square metres of soil removed along with several trees, Brisbane City Council says.
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Parkland along the edge of the Brisbane River at Riverside Drive was found to be contaminated in February last year, with remediation works announced for the area.
Council projected the total cost of the remediation works as just more than $15 million between 2018 and 2020, according to its 2018 budget.
The toxicity of both soil and groundwater was attributed to the area’s history as an industrial centre, including 60 years of tar processing from the 1920s through to 1983.
The contaminated land also affects private property along Buchanan Street.
Along the council- and state-owned strip of land, council said signage had been placed warning residents that contact with the water could result in skin rashes but was unlikely to cause serious health problems.
A council spokeswoman said plans for the Riverside Drive land remediation were progressing but it was expected several fig trees would be removed.
“The project includes the potential removal of 13,500 square metres of contaminated soil,” the spokeswoman said.
“Council will continue to work with the adjoining private property owner and the state government to ensure the land is remediated and trees retained where possible."
The spokeswoman said state government-owned land was not part of the planned excavation and remediation, and were expected to be coordinated with the adjacent development at the corner of Buchanan and Donkin streets.
"All contaminated soil removed as part of the West End Riverside Drive land remediation project will be excavated, transported and disposed of at a licensed facility," the spokeswoman said.
"The remediation works are proposed to be coordinated with the adjacent development, however these works do not prevent the developer from remediating and developing their property at any stage."
In February the Department of Environment and Science confirmed the land was listed on the state environmental management register with contamination found about 40 metres from the riverbank into the river.
The contaminants include heavy metals, hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH).
West End residents have raised concerns about the removal of contaminated trees in submissions to a development application for an approved three-building apartment development next to the park.
The contamination was discovered last year by an auditor, according to the Department of Environment and Science, with the groundwater and 40 metres of riverbank affected.
“Council will ensure trees are replanted in accordance with our offset policy where it is not possible to keep them,” the council spokeswoman said.
“Once complete the site will be retained as public parkland with new tree plantings and landscaped areas.”
Further south from the contaminated stretch of land, from Victoria Street down to Hill End Terrace, the council had already allocated $2 million in improvement works for the park, including more greenspace, seating, trees and pathways.
