A Groundwater Prohibition Area “GPA” will come into effect from December 8 and prevents the taking of groundwater from the upper three aquifers to a depth of 45 metres, with heavy fines if the rule is breached.

Affected suburbs include parts of Beverley, Woodville, Woodville South, Woodville West, Woodville Park, West Croydon, Kilkenny, Findon and Seaton.

The EPA said the affected suburbs have an industrial history and that groundwater has been contaminated with per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), cyanide and metals such as chromium.

“Widespread use of solvents as degreasers has also resulted in contamination of the groundwater with petroleum and chlorinated hydrocarbons such as trichloroethene (TCE), tetrachloroethene (PCE) and their degradation products,” the EPA said.

“Using contaminated bore water for drinking, showering, washing, filling swimming pools, watering lawns or irrigating edible produce over a long period of time is considered a health risk in these areas.”

Hugh and Ros Baddams live in Findon and aren’t concerned by the announcement.

“It’s not really a worry because it’s already down in the water aquifer,” Hugh Baddams said.

Baddams, who worked at the General Motors Holden factory at Woodville, said he doesn’t have any access to bore water.

“The big heavy industry here’s gone, I think if they’re trying to check up on anything they ought to have a look down at Wingfield where it all is now.”

The area within the new GPA still holds a number of reminders of its heavily industrial past. Picture: Jason Katsaras/ InDaily

Director of Policy Assessment and Finance at the EPA Kathryn Bellette said people affected by the GPA have been engaged extensively over the past few years.

“We’re not expecting people will be alarmed as we already asked them to stop using bore water during our assessment – this is formalising and closing the loop,” Bellette said.

“In the past there weren’t the powers in place to know that putting solvents on the ground would leech into the ground water, it’s a no fault legacy.

“This kind of legacy contamination is found in industrialised cities all around the world from the middle of the last century, no one knew best practices.”

Bellette said the contamination in the new GPA was due to a mixture of commercial, industrial and manufacturing activity in decades gone by, and that electroplating was a major contributor.

Brian and Velma Jones outside their Woodville South home. Picture: Jason Katsaras/ InDaily

Another married couple Brian and Velma Jones have lived in Woodville South for nine years and said they have been hearing about the issue for years, but haven’t had to make any changes to their lifestyle.

“I don’t think it’s going to affect this house, it only applies to bore water as I understand, we don’t have any and I’m pretty sure the neighbors don’t,” Brian Jones said.

The EPA has announced that future purchasers of properties within the GPA area will be made aware of the groundwater prohibition at the time of sale.

The Beverley and surrounding suburbs groundwater prohibition is the ninth to be established in metropolitan Adelaide.

The affected EPA Groundwater Prohibition Area. Picture EPA