❓ A WA parliamentary question addresses Nufarm's deep well injection of toxic waste, inquiring about alternatives, progress, cessation, monitoring, and potential impact on Cockburn Sound. The Minister's response indicates ongoing investigation of alternatives, a 90% reduction in waste injected since 2000, no set date for cessation, and claims no connection to Cockburn Sound.
AnsweredQoN 2950Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
(1) Further to Question No. 731, will the Minister explain what alternatives to deep well injection of toxic wastes are being investigated by Nufarm?
(2) What progress has been made towards finding an environmentally acceptable alternative to this practice?
(3) When will deep well injection of toxic wastes at Nufarm’s Kwinana premises cease?
(4) What monitoring is taking place to determine the drift of the toxic plume from this deep well?
(5) When is the waste from this plume expected to enter Cockburn Sound and what impact is it likely to have?
(2) What progress has been made towards finding an environmentally acceptable alternative to this practice?
(3) When will deep well injection of toxic wastes at Nufarm’s Kwinana premises cease?
(4) What monitoring is taking place to determine the drift of the toxic plume from this deep well?
(5) When is the waste from this plume expected to enter Cockburn Sound and what impact is it likely to have?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
14 March 2006
Responded by
Minister for Education and Training representing the Minister for the Environment
Response time
118 days
The Minister for the Environment; Science has provided the following response: The following information is true as at 16 January 2006. (1) Nufarm is investigating wastewater treatment alternatives with a wastewater services provider. (2) While a suitable alternative has not yet been found Nufarm have reduced the quantity of waste products injected to deep well by 90% since 2000 under management of the environmental licence issued by the Department of Environment. (3) There is no set date for ceasing of the use of the deep well injection facility, however the Department of Environment is working with Nufarm to ensure this occurs as soon as practicable. (4) The quality of the water in the Cockleshell Gully Formation (1180 - 1450 m below ground level) is saline. The waste that is injected is monitored, prior to injection, but there is no monitoring of the aquifer because of its extreme depth and the fact that there is no connectivity to other aquifers. (5) There is no hydro-geological connection between the Cockleshell Gully Formation and Cockburn Sound, therefore this waste material will not enter Cockburn Sound.
The following information is true as at 16 January 2006. (1) Nufarm is investigating wastewater treatment alternatives with a wastewater services provider. (2) While a suitable alternative has not yet been found Nufarm have reduced the quantity of waste products injected to deep well by 90% since 2000 under management of the environmental licence issued by the Department of Environment. (3) There is no set date for ceasing of the use of the deep well injection facility, however the Department of Environment is working with Nufarm to ensure this occurs as soon as practicable. (4) The quality of the water in the Cockleshell Gully Formation (1180 - 1450 m below ground level) is saline. The waste that is injected is monitored, prior to injection, but there is no monitoring of the aquifer because of its extreme depth and the fact that there is no connectivity to other aquifers. (5) There is no hydro-geological connection between the Cockleshell Gully Formation and Cockburn Sound, therefore this waste material will not enter Cockburn Sound.
(1) Nufarm is investigating wastewater treatment alternatives with a wastewater services provider. (2) While a suitable alternative has not yet been found Nufarm have reduced the quantity of waste products injected to deep well by 90% since 2000 under management of the environmental licence issued by the Department of Environment. (3) There is no set date for ceasing of the use of the deep well injection facility, however the Department of Environment is working with Nufarm to ensure this occurs as soon as practicable. (4) The quality of the water in the Cockleshell Gully Formation (1180 - 1450 m below ground level) is saline. The waste that is injected is monitored, prior to injection, but there is no monitoring of the aquifer because of its extreme depth and the fact that there is no connectivity to other aquifers. (5) There is no hydro-geological connection between the Cockleshell Gully Formation and Cockburn Sound, therefore this waste material will not enter Cockburn Sound.
(2) While a suitable alternative has not yet been found Nufarm have reduced the quantity of waste products injected to deep well by 90% since 2000 under management of the environmental licence issued by the Department of Environment. (3) There is no set date for ceasing of the use of the deep well injection facility, however the Department of Environment is working with Nufarm to ensure this occurs as soon as practicable. (4) The quality of the water in the Cockleshell Gully Formation (1180 - 1450 m below ground level) is saline. The waste that is injected is monitored, prior to injection, but there is no monitoring of the aquifer because of its extreme depth and the fact that there is no connectivity to other aquifers. (5) There is no hydro-geological connection between the Cockleshell Gully Formation and Cockburn Sound, therefore this waste material will not enter Cockburn Sound.
(3) There is no set date for ceasing of the use of the deep well injection facility, however the Department of Environment is working with Nufarm to ensure this occurs as soon as practicable. (4) The quality of the water in the Cockleshell Gully Formation (1180 - 1450 m below ground level) is saline. The waste that is injected is monitored, prior to injection, but there is no monitoring of the aquifer because of its extreme depth and the fact that there is no connectivity to other aquifers. (5) There is no hydro-geological connection between the Cockleshell Gully Formation and Cockburn Sound, therefore this waste material will not enter Cockburn Sound.
(4) The quality of the water in the Cockleshell Gully Formation (1180 - 1450 m below ground level) is saline. The waste that is injected is monitored, prior to injection, but there is no monitoring of the aquifer because of its extreme depth and the fact that there is no connectivity to other aquifers. (5) There is no hydro-geological connection between the Cockleshell Gully Formation and Cockburn Sound, therefore this waste material will not enter Cockburn Sound.
(5) There is no hydro-geological connection between the Cockleshell Gully Formation and Cockburn Sound, therefore this waste material will not enter Cockburn Sound.
The following information is true as at 16 January 2006. (1) Nufarm is investigating wastewater treatment alternatives with a wastewater services provider. (2) While a suitable alternative has not yet been found Nufarm have reduced the quantity of waste products injected to deep well by 90% since 2000 under management of the environmental licence issued by the Department of Environment. (3) There is no set date for ceasing of the use of the deep well injection facility, however the Department of Environment is working with Nufarm to ensure this occurs as soon as practicable. (4) The quality of the water in the Cockleshell Gully Formation (1180 - 1450 m below ground level) is saline. The waste that is injected is monitored, prior to injection, but there is no monitoring of the aquifer because of its extreme depth and the fact that there is no connectivity to other aquifers. (5) There is no hydro-geological connection between the Cockleshell Gully Formation and Cockburn Sound, therefore this waste material will not enter Cockburn Sound.
(1) Nufarm is investigating wastewater treatment alternatives with a wastewater services provider. (2) While a suitable alternative has not yet been found Nufarm have reduced the quantity of waste products injected to deep well by 90% since 2000 under management of the environmental licence issued by the Department of Environment. (3) There is no set date for ceasing of the use of the deep well injection facility, however the Department of Environment is working with Nufarm to ensure this occurs as soon as practicable. (4) The quality of the water in the Cockleshell Gully Formation (1180 - 1450 m below ground level) is saline. The waste that is injected is monitored, prior to injection, but there is no monitoring of the aquifer because of its extreme depth and the fact that there is no connectivity to other aquifers. (5) There is no hydro-geological connection between the Cockleshell Gully Formation and Cockburn Sound, therefore this waste material will not enter Cockburn Sound.
(2) While a suitable alternative has not yet been found Nufarm have reduced the quantity of waste products injected to deep well by 90% since 2000 under management of the environmental licence issued by the Department of Environment. (3) There is no set date for ceasing of the use of the deep well injection facility, however the Department of Environment is working with Nufarm to ensure this occurs as soon as practicable. (4) The quality of the water in the Cockleshell Gully Formation (1180 - 1450 m below ground level) is saline. The waste that is injected is monitored, prior to injection, but there is no monitoring of the aquifer because of its extreme depth and the fact that there is no connectivity to other aquifers. (5) There is no hydro-geological connection between the Cockleshell Gully Formation and Cockburn Sound, therefore this waste material will not enter Cockburn Sound.
(3) There is no set date for ceasing of the use of the deep well injection facility, however the Department of Environment is working with Nufarm to ensure this occurs as soon as practicable. (4) The quality of the water in the Cockleshell Gully Formation (1180 - 1450 m below ground level) is saline. The waste that is injected is monitored, prior to injection, but there is no monitoring of the aquifer because of its extreme depth and the fact that there is no connectivity to other aquifers. (5) There is no hydro-geological connection between the Cockleshell Gully Formation and Cockburn Sound, therefore this waste material will not enter Cockburn Sound.
(4) The quality of the water in the Cockleshell Gully Formation (1180 - 1450 m below ground level) is saline. The waste that is injected is monitored, prior to injection, but there is no monitoring of the aquifer because of its extreme depth and the fact that there is no connectivity to other aquifers. (5) There is no hydro-geological connection between the Cockleshell Gully Formation and Cockburn Sound, therefore this waste material will not enter Cockburn Sound.
(5) There is no hydro-geological connection between the Cockleshell Gully Formation and Cockburn Sound, therefore this waste material will not enter Cockburn Sound.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.