Ecological Risk Assessment

The risk specialists at SAGE Environmental Services have experience in developing Ecological Risk Assessments (ERAs) for aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems impacted by contamination, water quality impacts and groundwater drawdown. We specialise in developing pragmatic solutions that balance environmental protection and compliance with practicability and cost effectiveness.
The national frameworks provided by the National Environment Protection (Assessment of Site Contamination) Measure 1999, as amended in 2013 (ASC NEPM), and the Australia New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (ANZG) guide the ecological risk assessment solutions at contaminated sites in Australia. These frameworks also provide a basis upon which to develop site-specific ecological risk solutions that take into account the unique conditions at the site under investigation. At SAGE we work within these frameworks to deliver ecological risk assessments that provide technically robust outcomes which consider the context of the site and needs of the client and relevant stakeholders for a range of private sector and government clients.

Our ERA experience ranges from qualitative ecological risk solutions and Tier 1 risk screening in accordance with the ASC NEPM through to complex food web modelling for bioaccumulative compounds (including PFAS). We also have experience in consideration of site-specific risks to livestock and development of remediation (clean up) criteria that consider the exposure pathways relevant to future land use conditions at your site.

In Australia, water availability is a primary concern for many communities, however there is a need to balance the demand for water by communities and land owners with impacts on groundwater dependent ecosystems. At SAGE we understand the intricacies of navigating this balance and can support our clients in evaluating risks to groundwater dependent ecological communities from groundwater extraction.