Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2013C00288:reg:1
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2013C00288
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 1
Character Range: 1147127–1148478

1                   Background
The framework for conducting ecological risk assessment (ERA) was first set out nationally in the Australian and New Zealand guidelines for the assessment and management of contaminated sites (ANZECC & NHMRC 1992). It is based on the US EPA model and consists of four main phases: data collection and evaluation, toxicity assessment, exposure assessment and risk characterisation (US EPA 1989).

The National Environment Protection (Assessment of Site Contamination) Measure 1999 (the NEPM) refined and expanded upon this model. The tiered approach outlined in the 1999 Measure consisted of three levels of assessment:

Level 1   a comparison of measured concentrations to the ecological investigation levels (EILs)

Level 2   a desktop study where site-specific factors were used to modify the EILs, which were then compared to the measured concentrations

Level 3   a detailed, site-specific, probabilistic ERA.

Each level consisted largely of the same basic four considerations but incorporated an increasing degree of complexity from Level 1 to Level 3.

The development of ERAs in Australia was further enhanced by the risk-based hierarchical approach adopted in the National water quality management strategy – Australian and New Zealand guidelines for fresh and marine water quality (ANZECC & ARMCANZ 2000).