In 1980, about 45,000m3 of contaminated sand and coal ash was relocated to an underground storage facility covered over by a car park in Botany, NSW. Thirty years later, when the owners decided to sell the site, the soil needed to be treated to remove the contaminants. Ventia took on this remediation project in partnership with Orica.

Remediation can generate dust, noise, vibration and odour, so it's important that nearby residents, businesses and community groups are kept informed. That was especially the case for this project, where the site's history was well-known and controversial.

Together with Orica, we:

• provided information through multiple channels - newsletters, notifications, fact sheets, website and noticeboards
• door-knocked local residents and businesses
• gave presentations and site tours to community and stakeholder groups, and to Orica's Community Participation and Review Committee; and
• shared project information and monitoring results with the local council.

Helping little athletes keep running safely

One important stakeholder was a Little Athletics group that used a sports field next to the site. We made a special effort to share updates with the group. We scheduled heavy vehicle movements to avoid Saturdays and other times when the field was in use. At the end of the project, we made a donation to thank Little Athletics for their cooperation.

We're delighted that the project won two awards, demonstrating a successful remediation effort and strong community engagement.