In other words the liability would leak away with the leachate over time rather than be stored up for a possible sudden and more traceable failure in the future. However, in the reasons given to the public for the leaky landfill option, cost and limitation of liability were not mentioned. The initial public justification was that it was the only feasible option, given the difficulty of treating such a diverse range of chemicals that were present on the site and the dangers involved in moving these toxic wastes off site. The option of a more secure landfill was not discussed outside of consultants' reports. A second justification was in terms of risk management.
Risk management entails reducing risks rather than eliminating hazards.
The argument was that a cover of a metre of clean fill over the landfills and the installation of leachate drains would reduce the risk to people and fauna by reducing the pathways by which they could be exposed to the toxic waste. The fill would prevent direct contact with the toxic waste and reduce the likelihood of rainwater penetrating the landfill and washing out the wastes. Leachate drains would catch any wastes leaking directly into the creeks on the site. It enabled most of the remediation to be completed by 1993, in time for Sydney to win the bid for the 2000 Olympic Games. A similar risk reduction strategy has now been adopted for the rest of the Homebush site where the Olympic village and a Millenium Park are planned.