Relevant Council documents

Protecting and Enhancing the Biodiversity of Holroyd City, 2005 Greystanes Estate Residential Precinct Plan, October 2002 Former CSIRO Site, Pemulwuy Residential Lands Precinct Plan - Eastern Precinct, April 2004

Building in Pemulwuy

Designing and Building a Home in Saline Soil

ABOVE: Physical attack and corrosion of brickwork.

Other references
Nelsons Ridge Building & Siting Requirements, published by Delfin Lend Lease Design Guidelines: Lakewood, published by Stockland Lakewood

Ongoing salinity management

Council has recognised the importance of addressing salinity in the establishment of the community of Pemulwuy. Council has committed to ongoing salinity monitoring and management within Pemulwuy. Council and site developers have employed several management measures in response to salinity on site. These include: * testing salinity levels during planning of the estate; * testing salinity levels for development applications; * preparing Salinity Management Plans for major projects; and * instillation and ongoing monitoring of ground water to monitor salt levels.

For more information about anything in this brochure or for a more detailed list of requirements please contact:

Nelsons Ridge & Lakewood Estates

Holroyd City Council 16 Memorial Avenue Merrylands NSW 2160 Phone: 9840 9840 Email: holroyd@holroyd.nsw.gov.au Web: www.holroyd.nsw.gov.au January 2006

Salinity in Pemulwuy
he suburb of Pemulwuy has been identified as having areas of high salinity hazard. New dwelling homes are required to adopt special building techniques to manage salinity impact. Concrete slabs, in-ground concrete pools and other structures that come in contact with the ground should incorporate design and construction techniques in order to manage long term contact with saline soils. It is recommended that the owner/builder engage a Geotechnical engineer to assess the level of salinity that may affect your site prior to designing footings, concrete slabs and other structures that have direct contact with soils.

Physical attack
Saline moisture from the soil can enter concrete and over time cause concrete to soften, causing the gradual erosion of the surface of the concrete and exposure of internal steel reinforcement, which will rust if it comes in contact with moist saline soils.

How to reduce salinity impacts

* Consult your Geotechnical Engineers report for your lot before designing your home to ensure the building is protected from any impacts of salinity. * Ensure your builder and landscape designer are aware of salinity issues in Pemulwuy. * Building footings and slabs should be designed to comply with AS 2870 - Residential slabs and Footings and AS 3600 - Concrete Structures Standards. * Damp proof membranes should be used to protect footings in contact with saline soils from saline attack. * External paving located around dwellings should be provided with a damp proof membrane to help protect from the impact of saline soils. * Retaining walls to be provided with suitable drainage. If retaining wall is concrete design to ensure concrete and reinforcement protected from long term exposure to saline soils. * Good perimeter drainage around the building will reduce water ponding and reduce the potential for saline water to enter concrete above water proof membrane. * Landscaping that is deep rooted will assist in maintaining the water table at appropriate levels. This will assist in keeping soil salts deeper in the ground. Salt resistant turf and plant species are available for use. * Always consult with your home designer and builder if you are unsure about salinity levels for your building site. * Ensure that all building works are designed and constructed by qualified professionals and inspected by the Principal Certifying Authority prior to proceeding to the next stage of construction.

Corrosion of reinforcement (concrete cancer)

This occurs when vulnerable steel reinforcement in the concrete is exposed to saline intrusion. This can occur through physical attack, chemical attack and seepage through cracking. Corrosion of steel reinforcement will reduce the strength of concrete and provide a pathway for further saline intrusion.

Helpful contacts
Department of Natural Resources www.dlwc.nsw.gov.au (02) 9895 6211 WSROC www.wsroc.com.au (02) 9671 4333

Chemical attack
Chemical reactions between saline soils and concrete can reduce the structural integrity (strength) of concrete. This can result in concrete cracking and breaking away.