april-2018-amsa-land-contamination-site-assessment-report-2b8f36f39e5d5997.pdf

This April 2018 Site Assessment Report and Remediation Action Plan, prepared by WSP Environmental (Pty) Ltd for ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA), evaluates land and groundwater contamination at the Vanderbijlpark steel mill. The report concludes that while soil impacts are generally low risk, substantial groundwater contamination exists on the western boundary due to historical coal tar sludge deposition in Dam 10, which created a Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (DNAPL) plume extending approximately 2.5km west. The report recommends a shift from informal DNAPL abstraction to enhanced natural attenuation via chemical dosing, alongside consolidated groundwater monitoring and further investigation of specific soil contamination in the southeast.

• The AMSA Vanderbijlpark facility is officially classified as contaminated under the National Environmental Management: Waste Act (NEM: WA), although the majority of the contamination is not considered to present an immediate risk.
• Substantial groundwater contamination, specifically Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (DNAPL), is present on the western boundary of the site. This contamination originated from the historical deposition of coal tar sludge in Dam 10 and has resulted in a dissolved-phase plume extending roughly 2.5km to the west.
• AMSA has performed informal DNAPL abstraction for approximately ten years to mitigate off-site migration. However, the efficacy of this practice is questioned because the recovered DNAPL is an emulsion in water and no accurate volume records are maintained.
• WSP proposes a remediation strategy of enhanced natural attenuation for the residual DNAPL, involving the introduction of chemical agents to accelerate degradation and inhibit the migration of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and phenolic compounds.
• Soil analysis indicates that most impacts are unlikely to represent a significant risk to human health or aquatic systems. However, localized exceedances of industrial land-use standards (SSV2) were found for hexavalent chromium and benzo(a)pyrene in an open field in the eastern section, and manganese in the southwest.
• Groundwater monitoring revealed exceedances of drinking water standards for manganese and chloride in well T-1D, and chloride and cyanide in well T-3D. Nitrite exceedances were noted in well P-8D, likely linked to the Old Waste Disposal Site.
• A suspended small-scale irrigation abstraction (HCBH1) in the southeast was evaluated; current data suggests the water is compliant with agricultural irrigation guidelines and drinking water standards, indicating low risk for reinstatement.
• WSP recommends consolidating the various groundwater monitoring requirements from different licenses into a single analytical program to ensure a consistent site-wide database.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (n.d.). april-2018-amsa-land-contamination-site-assessment-report-2b8f36f39e5d5997.pdf. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/April-2018-AMSA-Land-Contamination-site-assessment-report.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. april-2018-amsa-land-contamination-site-assessment-report-2b8f36f39e5d5997.pdf. n.d. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/April-2018-AMSA-Land-Contamination-site-assessment-report.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=april-2018-amsa-land-contamination-site-assessment-report-2b8f36f39e5d5997.pdf |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/April-2018-AMSA-Land-Contamination-site-assessment-report.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centreforenvironmentalrightsndapril2018amsalandcontaminationsiteassessmentreport2b8f36f39e5d5997pdf, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{april-2018-amsa-land-contamination-site-assessment-report-2b8f36f39e5d5997.pdf}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/April-2018-AMSA-Land-Contamination-site-assessment-report.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }