The Lead Mitigation Grant Program provides funding to eligible households that have been impacted by lead contamination from the former Pasminco Cockle Creek Smelter.
The Pasminco site operated for more than a century in Boolaroo. During this time, airborne pollution resulted in soil contamination in surrounding areas, including lead and other heavy metals.
Remediation work has occurred since the smelter closed in 2003, but some soil in the area remains contaminated or potentially contaminated.
Led by the NSW Environment Protection Agency, the Lead Mitigation Grant Program can help with the cost of lead remediation and mitigation activities.
Lead Mitigation Grant - Round 6 closed
Applications for round 6 are closed.
Applications for Round 7 will open 9am Monday 5 May and close 5pm Monday 2 June 2025.
Take a moment to familiarise yourself with the lead mitigation grant guidelines(PDF, 3MB) and check Council's lead mitigation grant decision tool to ensure you are eligible. The guidelines provide clear information about what activities will be eligible for funding and how applications will be prioritised. For more information on the Lead Mitigation Grant Program please refer to the FAQ section below.
Drop-in sessions
Council will hold free drop-in sessions in each round for community members to ask questions about the program and their eligibility for support. Council's Sustainability Engagement Officer (Land Contamination) will be available to answer questions and assist with grant applications. Please check back regularly for updates or contact Council's Sustainability Engagement Officer for more information.
Applications for raised garden bed grants are now open
Residents of the Lead Abatement Strategy (LAS) area(PDF, 326KB) are eligible for the raised garden bed grant program. Take a moment to familiarise yourself with the raised garden bed grant guidelines (PDF, 337KB)(PDF, 337KB) to ensure you are eligible. The guidelines provide clear information about what activities will be eligible for funding and how applications will be prioritised. For more information on the Lead Mitigation Grant Program please refer to the FAQ section below.
The raised garden bed grants are open from 1 September 2023 until 30 June 2026.
Apply now
Applications for acute health risk grants are now open
Take a moment to familiarise yourself with the acute health risk grant guidelines (PDF, 2MB) and check Council's lead mitigation grant decision tool to ensure you are eligible.
The guidelines provide clear information about what activities will be eligible for funding and how applications will be prioritised. For more information on the Lead Mitigation Grant Program please refer to the FAQ section below.
Applications are now open. The acute health risk grants are open from 1 September 2023 until 30 June 2026.
Apply now
For more information or assistance with an application email Council’s Sustainability Engagement Officer or phone 02 4921 0333
X-ray fluorescence (XRF) testing
XRF testing is conducted free of charge by appropriately licenced Council staff.
XRF testing provides an estimate of lead in soil and should be treated as an indication only. XRF testing does not replace the requirement for lead in soil testing by a suitably qualified contaminated land consultant.
Please note XRF testing is prioritised for residents of the LAS area. If you reside outside the LAS area and have concerns about lead contamination at the property you live at, please contact Council’s Sustainability Engagement Officer (Land Contamination) for further advice.
Apply now
FAQs
The Lead Mitigation Grant Program is funded by the NSW EPA and delivered by Lake Macquarie City Council.
It aims to assist eligible Lake Macquarie landowners and tenants who have been impacted by lead contamination from the former Pasminco Cockle Creek Smelter.
There are various remediation and mitigation activities that are eligible for funding.
Residential landowners or tenants living within the Lead Abatement Strategy (LAS) area may be eligible for funding.
The LAS includes the suburbs of Boolaroo, Argenton and parts of Speers Point, Macquarie Hills and Edgeworth, highlighted purple in map below.
Depending on the Contamination Notation of your property in the LAS area, you may be eligible for:
- Soil testing via X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) - a quick test carried out by qualified Council staff to estimate lead levels in the soil
- Assistance with lead in soil testing carried out by a suitably qualified consultant to confirm contamination status
- Assistance with the costs of a Remedial Action Plan (RAP) prepared by a suitably qualified consultant
- Assistance with the costs of a Validation Report prepared by a suitably qualified consultant
- Assistance with costs of tipping fees associated with disposal of contaminated soil
- Assistance with maintaining capped soil
- Assistance with setting up or maintaining raised garden beds
In situations where an acute health risk is identified, applicants may also be eligible for:
- Assistance with temporary housing or relocation costs while a property undergoes remediation
- Assistance with costs for remediation of land
For more information, including the funding amounts available, please refer to the Lead Mitigation Grant Guidelines above.
Lead mitigation grant decision tool
Funding for raised garden beds, XRF soil testing and support for people with acute health risks are now available year-round.
Funding for other lead remediation and mitigation activities, such as consultant reports, will be available during grant rounds held four times per calendar year.
Grant rounds are open for four to six weeks. You can still apply for grants to assist with costs of an activity you have already carried out. Please contact Council’s Sustainability Engagement Officer to check your eligibility and discuss in further detail.
The Lead Mitigation Grants will be available until 30 June 2026. Applications will be open during grant rounds.
There are four grant rounds scheduled for 2025 as follows:
- Round 6: Monday 10 February – Monday 10 March 2025
- Round 7: Monday 5 May – Monday 2 June 2025
- Round 8: Monday 21 July – Monday 18 August 2025
- Round 9: Monday 20 October – Monday 17 November 2025
You can apply for funding by completing the online application forms on this page.
If you are unable to complete the online form, contact Council’s Sustainability Engagement Officer on 4921 0333 or by email at leadgrants@lakemac.nsw.gov.au
Applicants are notified of the outcome of their application following the closure of each round.
To find out your land’s contamination notation enter your address into Council’s Property Enquiry tool.
Your contamination notation number will be included under ‘minor conditions’ section in the property report.
There are six possible contamination notations for land in Lake Macquarie:
- Contaminated land: Property that is known to be contaminated
- Potentially contaminated land: Property that is suspected to be contaminated because of past use or proximity to pollution sources
- Remediated land with contamination above the investigation threshold: Property has undergone some remediation works, but contamination remains on site above investigation levels
- Remediated land with contamination below the investigation threshold: Property has undergone remediation and soil testing has shown that contamination levels are now below investigation levels.
- Below contaminated land investigation threshold: Property has undergone soil testing and found to be below investigation levels.
- No clear site history: Council records do not contain a clear site history of the land or there is inadequate knowledge of uses that may have led to contamination or potential contamination.
Bare soil, dirt and dust are the biggest sources of lead exposure from contaminated soil.
If you’re growing fruit or vegetables, it is recommended that you do so in raised garden beds filled with clean soil.
If your property has contamination notation 1, 2 or 3, legacy lead contamination can be managed by maintaining an effective barrier over the contaminated soil eg: hardstand paving or turf. In order to maintain adequate grass coverage, you may be eligible for an exemption to water restrictions
More information on how to manage exposure to lead at residential properties is available from Hunter New England Health and the NSW Environmental Protection Authority
Grants are available for activities undertaken or planned to be undertaken between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2026.
For activities carried out between 1 July 2018 and 30 June 2022 grant activities and amounts stated in the 2019-2022 grant guidelines(PDF, 736KB) will be applied.
Click the 2018-2022 grants tab below to apply for this type of grant.
Application forms
Need help with your application?
Contact Council's Sustainability Engagement Officer on 02 4921 0333 or email leadgrants@lakemac.nsw.gov.au to discuss.