Sitting on the verandah of his home of 40 years, just outside of the southern NSW city of Wagga Wagga, Tom Hughes points out a large cherry tree in his garden.
“I got 11 kilograms of cherries off that tree one year, but we don’t eat them anymore,” he said.
Due to the proximity of his property to the nearby Kapooka Military Area — a known PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) contamination site — the 88-year-old is wary of harvesting anything from his garden.
A 2021 Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessment by Defence found the consumption of home-grown fruits and vegetables off base was a low and acceptable risk, but for some individual properties bordering the site, there was an elevated risk.
So, for Mr Hughes the cherries are now forbidden fruit.
For six years Mr Hughes, who lives beside the Kapooka Creek which runs through the military area, has doggedly sought information about the ‘forever chemicals’ which were historically used on site by Defence in firefighting foams.
But his quest remains ongoing.
“They tell you what they want you to hear,” he said.
The Department of Defence completed its initial investigations into PFAS contamination at Blamey Barracks in 2021. (ABC Riverina: Simon Wallace )
PFAS has been the subject of both New South Wales and federal inquiries, and last month the Commonwealth announced it was suing firefighting foam manufacturer 3M for allegedly withholding information about its adverse environmental effects.
Mr Hughes said despite writing dozens of letters to various local, state and federal government representatives and authorities, he still had lots of questions about the chemicals.
He is worried they could be potentially linked to health issues he’s experienced in recent years, including prostate cancer and a testicular growth.
“I’m only a member of the public, one of them low-down people,”
Mr Hughes said.
“That’s what we’re treated like.”
The dam on Tom Hughes’s property is fed by the Kapooka Creek, which runs through Blamey Barracks. (ABC News: Melinda Hayter )
The Kapooka Military Area is one of two known PFAS source locations in the city.
The other is at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Wagga, 20 kilometres away on the city’s eastern fringe.
In 2023 Defence confirmed low-levels of PFAS were detected in two of its groundwater monitoring wells, 650 metres from a bore field that is one of four water sources used by local water utility, Riverina Water.
Defence installed new monitoring wells closer to the bore field in 2024, and during sampling in February 2025, PFAS levels above the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines were detected.
A multi-agency governance group that includes the Department of Defence, the Environment Protection Authority, NSW Health and Riverina Water has been looking at PFAS risk and long-term drinking water security for Wagga.
Riverina Water confirmed a proposed management plan was abandoned by the group in September last year, due to no longer being fit for purpose.
Engineering Director Troy Van Berkel said a memorandum of understanding had now been developed with Defence, which will be considered at a meeting later this month.
“[It’s about] making sure we’re both communicating with each other, but also to the community in a timely and transparent way to make sure the community understands what the risks are, how we’re managing those risks, and what we’re doing in the future to ensure that our drinking water supply remains safe,” he said.
Mr Van Berkel said it would be a non-legally binding agreement with specific trigger points for action to be taken if contamination above mandated thresholds occurred.
Troy Van Berkel says Wagga Wagga’s drinking water is safe to drink and plans are in place should PFAS be detected above guidelines. (ABC News: Melinda Hayter )
Riverina Water has increased its sampling in the bore field, and to date it said PFAS levels had remained below the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, which were updated in June 2025.
“We’re not seeing any escalation in our risk or PFAS levels,” Mr Van Berkel said.
Riverina Water said if the bore field was impacted, short and long-term plans were in place, including:
- Blending the water with its other non-affected sources
- Utilising a special licence enabling it to pump more water from the Murrumbidgee River
- Upgrading the Wagga water treatment plant
Mr Van Berkel said local water remained safe to drink.
“We have a lot of testing. We’ve got a lot of external agencies that oversee us, making sure we’re doing the right thing,”
he said.
Further studies needed
Denis O’Carroll, the managing director of the Water Research Laboratory at the University of NSW’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was involved in pioneering PFAS research.
Professor O’Carroll said while many associated the term with firefighting foams, PFAS was a group of around 14,000 chemicals widely used across the globe in pesticides, waterproof clothing and non-stick cookware over the last 50 years.
“Ninety-seven to 99 per cent of the population have some measurable concentrations of PFAS in their blood,” he said.
“It’s pervasive and the question is, if you’re never living anywhere near a source of PFAS, how are you exposed?
PFAS can be found in a range of products. (Supplied: DCCEEW)
“We certainly need to know more about what the health impacts are. We also need to find out how do we stop PFAS getting into us, and the environment.”
Professor O’Carroll said while governments were making efforts to minimise exposure, more could be done — especially where drinking water was involved.
Denis O’Carroll says more research is needed into PFAS and its effects on people and the environment. (ABC News: Gregory Heap)
Results not yet available
The Department of Defence has held a number of community information sessions in Wagga Wagga, and undertaken remediation work at both RAAF Base Wagga and the Kapooka Military Area in recent years.
That included removing nearly 3,000 tonnes of soil from the sites and improving stormwater management.
Further work is also planned as part of an almost $900 million redevelopment of the two sites.
Defence also monitors on and around both RAAF Base Wagga and the Kapooka Military Area twice a year.
However results from sampling in September 2025 and February 2026 have not been publicly released yet.
“Defence remains committed to ensuring the safety of Wagga Wagga’s drinking water supply,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
“Defence continues to work closely with Riverina Water, the NSW government and Wagga Wagga City Council to help safeguard the water supply over the long term.”
For Mr Hughes, the search for answers continues.
“Nothing’s happened. Zero,” he said.
“I’m not an angry person, but they’re making me one. I’ll get the answers one day.“
