Darkan Tannery labelled highly contaminated with hexavalent chromium after 20 years, serious local concern

A highly contaminated Wheatbelt tannery has been left abandoned and untreated for two decades, raising serious health and environmental concerns for neighbours and the nearby town. The Darkan Tannery, which operated between 1992 and 2004, was classified “contaminated’ — remediation required, by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation on June 3, 2025. Hexavalent chromium —a carcinogen that can cause lung, nasal and sinus cancer — aluminium and manganese were discovered in the soil, sediments and pond sediments. This announcement follows the Darkan community’s 30-year battle, with reports of horrid chemical odours during operation and contamination concerns after the tannery closed. Due to the former owners deserting the site, the lot was not closed down properly and no environmental remediation was completed despite the tannery using a chromium-based wet-blue process, which is known to cause contamination. Five people who neighbour the site said they believed the tannery would have been remediated earlier if Darkan had a higher population, but because the group concerned was so small they were pushed down the list. “It’s just rusting away, it’s been abandoned by all authorities, no one wants to know anything about it,” site neighbour Duncan South said. “There’s a monitoring bore on our property and no one went there. I’d be surprised if there was any monitoring going on.” A community member, who did not wish to be named, said they deserved better and the situation was “completely unacceptable”. “It is a warning that any government-supported industry development needs to implement their decommissioning plan when businesses fail and protect the community,” she said. DWER classified the site as “possibly contaminated — requires further investigation” in 2006 when an inspection identified stored chemicals, an acid storage tank, wastewater treatment ponds containing liquid and sludge, open waste disposal trenches and contaminated pond sediments. No further action was taken until Shire of West Arthur chief executive Vin Fordham Lamont pushed for it in 2022, saying it was “disappointing”. DWER’s investigation in December 2024 detected the exceeding levels after a preliminary site investigation in May that year identified sediment ponds, a chemical storage shed and quarantine area as potential contamination sources. The chromium treatment pit, sheds and soil contamination beneath the building was not tested because the above-ground infrastructure was deemed unsafe. A 2023 groundwater investigation also found the water under the site to be below the health-based assessment levels for non-potable use. Member of the former Tannery Watch group Trevor Bunce said it was very “frustrating”. “The main problem for us was the smell that came from it and the dangerous component hydrogen sulfide gas, apparently once it gets past 10 parts per million your nose can’t detect it and it becomes toxic to humans and animals” he said. “We’re worried about certain effects, there were concerns from a number of people around here health-wise if it was contributing to issues like cancer.” A DWER spokesperson said the department dealt with potentially contaminated sites on a “risk basis” and “there was no information suggesting there was contamination migrating from the site that represented a risk to human health or the environment”. The spokesperson said it responded promptly to community concerns, leading to the site’s reclassification and remediation plan. The current site owner, Trevor Korn who lives in Victoria, has until September 30 to submit an updated remediation act plan which will include the removal of all remaining site infrastructure, followed by additional soil and groundwater investigations.

Darkan Tannery labelled highly contaminated with hexavalent chromium after 20 years, serious local concern

The No. 1 source of news for every West Australian

Everyday Digital

Everyday Digital + Weekend Papers