❓ Hon Sally Talbot questions the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) regarding the Biowise facility in Kwinana, focusing on its license status, environmental conditions, monitoring, odour complaints, and actions taken. The DEC provides detailed responses, including complaint numbers and planned improvements.
AnsweredQoN 6347Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the Biowise facility on McLaughlin Road in Kwinana, and I ask —
(1) What is the status of the current licence held by BioWise at the site on McLaughlin Road?
(2) What are the conditions of the licence held by BioWise in relation to dust, noise, odour and contamination of soils/groundwater?
(3) Who monitors the conditions of the licence?
(4) How many complaints have the Department of Environment and Conservation received regarding odour coming from the BioWise facility from residents?
(5) What action has been taken in response to these complaints?
(1) What is the status of the current licence held by BioWise at the site on McLaughlin Road?
(2) What are the conditions of the licence held by BioWise in relation to dust, noise, odour and contamination of soils/groundwater?
(3) Who monitors the conditions of the licence?
(4) How many complaints have the Department of Environment and Conservation received regarding odour coming from the BioWise facility from residents?
(5) What action has been taken in response to these complaints?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
27 November 2012
Responded by
Minister for Mental Health representing the Minister for Environment
Response time
35 days
(1) SITA Organics Pty Ltd's Biowise facility is licensed under the
Environmental Protection Act 1986
until 14 November 2012. SITA applied for a new licence on 6 September 2012, and a new licence has been granted commencing on 15 November.
(2) The licence conditions in relation to dust, noise, odour and contamination are summarised as follows:
· The licensee is required to take measures to ensure that visible dust does not cross the premises' boundary. These measures include maintaining stockpiles in a damp condition where no waste is burnt on the premises.
· There are no specific conditions for noise emissions from the premises as the licensee is required to comply with the Environmental Protection (Noise) Regulations 1997.
· Odour emitted from the premises shall not unreasonably interfere with the health, welfare, convenience, comfort or amenity of any person at any odour sensitive premises.
· All stockpiles of composting material are to be stored and processed on either a compacted limestone area or a hardstand area. Any leachate is to be collected and contained on the premises, and stormwater is to be directed to the clay-lined sedimentation pond on the premises.
· The licensee is required to carry out groundwater monitoring twice per year for a suite of parameters, including standing water level, pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, ammonium-nitrogen, total nitrogen, oxidised nitrogen (nitrate+nitrite-nitrogen) and total phosphorus.
A copy of the licence is available on the Department of Environment and Conservation's (DEC) website at
www.dec.wa.gov.au
.
(3) DEC.
(4) Forty-six odour complaints were received from 4 May to 6 November 2012.
(5) DEC investigated the complaints and determined that the odour emissions emanated from the BioWise facility. Since DEC received the first odour complaints in May 2012, it has carried out two site inspections on 31 May and 11 June 2012. DEC met with SITA, the Water Corporation and the City of Kwinana on 31 July, 31 August and 19 October 2012. DEC held a separate meeting with the City of Kwinana on 18 July 2012. A community meeting was held by DEC on 5 September 2012 at which SITA was required to respond to community concerns and explain its proposal to undertake a series of improvements and site investigations, assessments and modelling, and to manage odour emissions from the site. DEC has liaised with the Department of Health (DoH) in relation to DoH's conditions of approval for combining biosolids with composting products. SITA's new licence includes a requirement to provide a detailed odour improvement plan to DEC by 5 December 2012. DEC will consider further amendments to SITA's licence conditions if necessary, once it has reviewed the odour improvement plan.
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Environmental Protection Act 1986
until 14 November 2012. SITA applied for a new licence on 6 September 2012, and a new licence has been granted commencing on 15 November.
(2) The licence conditions in relation to dust, noise, odour and contamination are summarised as follows:
· The licensee is required to take measures to ensure that visible dust does not cross the premises' boundary. These measures include maintaining stockpiles in a damp condition where no waste is burnt on the premises.
· There are no specific conditions for noise emissions from the premises as the licensee is required to comply with the Environmental Protection (Noise) Regulations 1997.
· Odour emitted from the premises shall not unreasonably interfere with the health, welfare, convenience, comfort or amenity of any person at any odour sensitive premises.
· All stockpiles of composting material are to be stored and processed on either a compacted limestone area or a hardstand area. Any leachate is to be collected and contained on the premises, and stormwater is to be directed to the clay-lined sedimentation pond on the premises.
· The licensee is required to carry out groundwater monitoring twice per year for a suite of parameters, including standing water level, pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, ammonium-nitrogen, total nitrogen, oxidised nitrogen (nitrate+nitrite-nitrogen) and total phosphorus.
A copy of the licence is available on the Department of Environment and Conservation's (DEC) website at
www.dec.wa.gov.au
.
(3) DEC.
(4) Forty-six odour complaints were received from 4 May to 6 November 2012.
(5) DEC investigated the complaints and determined that the odour emissions emanated from the BioWise facility. Since DEC received the first odour complaints in May 2012, it has carried out two site inspections on 31 May and 11 June 2012. DEC met with SITA, the Water Corporation and the City of Kwinana on 31 July, 31 August and 19 October 2012. DEC held a separate meeting with the City of Kwinana on 18 July 2012. A community meeting was held by DEC on 5 September 2012 at which SITA was required to respond to community concerns and explain its proposal to undertake a series of improvements and site investigations, assessments and modelling, and to manage odour emissions from the site. DEC has liaised with the Department of Health (DoH) in relation to DoH's conditions of approval for combining biosolids with composting products. SITA's new licence includes a requirement to provide a detailed odour improvement plan to DEC by 5 December 2012. DEC will consider further amendments to SITA's licence conditions if necessary, once it has reviewed the odour improvement plan.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
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