Lead Mitigation Grants

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 the cost of capping legacy lead contaminated soil with approved capping materials 
• Assistance with maintaining effective coverage of grass, mulched areas and bare areas of 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 [email protected] 

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: 

1. Contaminated land: Property that is known to be contaminated  
2. Potentially contaminated land: Property that is suspected to be contaminated because of past use or proximity to pollution sources  
3. Remediated land with contamination above the investigation threshold: Property has undergone some remediation works, but contamination remains on site above investigation levels  
4. 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.  
5. Below contaminated land investigation threshold: Property has undergone soil testing and found to be below investigation levels.  
6. 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.