The Environmental Protection Authority has extended the area it will test for the carcinogenic chemical trichloroethylene (TCE) to cover more than 1000 homes in Adelaide’s southern suburbs.

Earlier this month, concern over high levels of TCE caused the EPA to recommend 25 Clovelly Park residents move out of their homes.

Today, residents of around 1,400 homes in Clovelly Park and Mitchell Park received letters saying testing would be extended into their area.

EPA South Australia Chief Executive Tony Circelli urged householders not to be alarmed.

“We want to make sure people aren’t getting mixed messages,” he said.

“The message is there is no immediate risk.”

Residents in the expanded testing area are urged not to use groundwater from bores for any purpose.

“The only identified public health risk in the wider area … is from using bore water,” Environment Minister Ian Hunter said.

“There is no evidence to suggest any risk from visiting a local park or from using home-grown fruit and vegetables.”

Hunter said residents with bores on their property should contact the EPA.

Groundwater and soil testing will begin next month.

Authorities will drill around 140 bores on public property in the expanded area, at a cost of $668,000 to taxpayers.

Samples are expected to be  taken from the bores in September. Results are expected to be known between October and December.

While those residents advised to move out of their houses in Clovelly Park 2 weeks ago were offered taxpayer-funded health checks, the government will not offer residents in the expanded testing free health checks.

Residents are invited to attend information sessions* this weekend.

EPA Director of Science Peter Dolan said the organisation was aware of at least 2 possible sources of TCE in groundwater and as many as 5 sources in the soil.

“We believe the soil ones might be related to people pouring waste material on the ground,” he said.

“We don’t yet know whether the companies themselves authorised that, or whether it was done by individuals.”

When the original contamination is believed to have occured, common practice among industrial manufacturers was to pour waste solvents on the ground to evaporate.

“We’ll go through our legal processes identifying who the responsible party is and if we’re able – through the processes we have – we’ll recover the costs so that the taxpayer doesn’t pay,” Dolan said.

Disposing of solvents in this way became illegal with the introduction of the Environmental Protection Act in 1995.

*The meetings are at the Cooinda Neighbourhood Centre at 1:30pm Saturday 26 July and 6pm 28 July.