Authorities are investigating possible groundwater contamination at a site recently referred to as Australia’s dumping ground.

Queensland’s Department of Environment and Heritage Protection says it is “investigating concerns about groundwater contamination at Swanbank”, one of the sites at the centre of recent cross-border dumping revelations.

If evidence of contamination is found, it could trigger a major scientific and environmental investigation due to the proximity to Six Mile Creek, and the likelihood of it flowing into the Brisbane River.

The site was one of several highlighted in recent ABC investigations that revealed millions of tonnes of household and building waste had been trucked from New South Wales to Queensland to avoid a $138 per tonne waste levy in NSW.

The opportunity opened after Queensland scrapped its own waste policy during Campbell Newman’s time as premier in 2013.

Swanbank has also been the target of several years’ worth of bad odour complaints, leading the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection to launch a targeted odour compliance project in the area.

Reports say a number of fines have been issued in the last 12 months to companies operating nearby, for allowing odours to be generated from their operations.