Water sampling in Queanbeyan.
A NEW campaign will encourage industrial businesses in Queanbeyan to improve the quality of stormwater discharge of polluted runoff to protect local waterways and wildlife.
The program is a joint effort between Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council (QPRC) and the NSW Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), and will be conducted throughout the East Queanbeyan light industrial area.
“Dirty and polluted stormwater and runoff from industrial areas can harm local animal populations, and habitat for platypus specifically,” said NSW EPA CEO Tracy Mackey.
“A little bit of pollution from each site can collectively have a big impact. Small changes by every business can make a difference and help to ensure our rivers are kept clean.”
The toxic waste sits in drums on the Ruakaka property
Photo: RNZ / Claire Eastham-Farrelly
The waste, which has sat at a property in Ruakaka for three years, includes a range of chemicals, some of which are flammable and some which are toxic to aquatic life.
The first stage of the clean up is expected to cost $3 million.
The waste is 110 metres away from electricity lines which power the oil refinery at Marsden Point and 80m from the pipeline which carries petrol, diesel and jet fuel to Auckland.
The township of Ruakaka is 2km away.
Following the two-year-long first stage of the clean up, a second stage, involving testing the soil for contamination and remediating the site, will be needed. The cost of this has yet to be estimated.
The chemicals were illegally stockpiled by companies, including property owner Sustainable Solvents Group, who intended to distil and recycle solvents used in engineering, dry cleaning, printing and painting.
About 1 million litres were never distilled and have remained in rusting, leaking drums for several years while officials tried to get the companies to deal with the mess.
Last year Whangārei District Council obtained an interim enforcement order which allowed it to clean up the site and bill the owners.
The costs were being covered by the Ministry for the Environment, WorkSafe, Northland Regional Council and Whangārei District Council.
The bill is three times more than the last big chemical clean-up undertaken by government agencies, after an electroplating company in Timaru stockpiled 90,000 litres of toxic chemicals.
Premium Content If you trash Byron s beaches, you could be up for a hefty fine. This is the message Byron Shire Council is sending as staff embark on a litter blitz. The effort has been supported by funding from the NSW Environmental Protection Authority. It will see the council undertake a litter enforcement blitz along the beaches and foreshore areas until mid March. If you litter or smoke on the beaches, you will be fined up to $250. Both littering and smoking on Byron s beaches is illegal and our strong message to the community and to our visitors is that it will not be tolerated, the council s waste education and compliance officer, Zoe White said.
Source: Environmental Protection Authority
The Environmental Protection Authorityâs Safer Homes programme has some tips and tricks to keep in mind before you fire up the grill.
âIf youâve launched into barbeque season without doing a maintenance check on your gas bottle, better late than never,â says the Safer Homes programme manager, Lizzie Wilson.
âUse the bubble test each time you go to connect the gas bottle. Apply soapy water to the connections and turn it on. If bubbles appear you may have a gas leak, and should get the cylinder checked.â
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is what most people use to fuel their barbeques. It is butane, propane or a mixture of these two fuels. You can also buy smaller canisters for tramping or camping.