❓ Hon Ben Dawkins questions the Minister for Environment regarding odour management at the Bunbury/Dalyellup Waste Water Treatment Plant, referencing historical DEC advice and a GBRS amendment. The Minister's response indicates a lack of formal correspondence or odour management plans required by DEC/DWER due to a lack of confirmed odour complaints.
AnsweredQoN 1776Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the
Bunbury/Dalyellup Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP), the Greater Bunbury Region Scheme (GBRS) minor amendment 0020/57 and document 2537
tabled on 19 September 2023, in particular the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) Air Quality Management
Branch Technical advice dated 5 July 2011 and DEC South Region’s advice on
behalf of DEC’s Air Quality Branch dated 7 December 2012, and I ask: (a) could the Minister provide a copy of the
correspondence between DEC Air Quality Management Branch and DEC South Region; (b) if no to (a), why not; (c) has DEC received from the Water Corporation any
letter committing to undertake odour remediation to the satisfaction of DEC if
any unreasonable odours are emitted outside Water Corporation’s licence; (d) if yes to (c), could you provide a copy of the letter; (e) if no to (c), why not; (f) has the Water Corporation provided DEC with an Odour
Management Plan (OMP) in the way it was required by DEC; (g) if yes to (f), could you provide a copy of the OMP; (h) if no to (f), why not; (i) If yes to (f), is the OMP part of the Licence under the Environmental Protection Act; (j) if no to (f), why not; (k) If no to (c) and or (f), could you please provide copy of any final agreement or correspondence between DEC and the Water Corporation that satisfied DEC so DEC in 2013 did not object to the amendment to GBRS 0020/57 proceeding; and (l) if no to (k), why not?
Bunbury/Dalyellup Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP), the Greater Bunbury Region Scheme (GBRS) minor amendment 0020/57 and document 2537
tabled on 19 September 2023, in particular the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) Air Quality Management
Branch Technical advice dated 5 July 2011 and DEC South Region’s advice on
behalf of DEC’s Air Quality Branch dated 7 December 2012, and I ask: (a) could the Minister provide a copy of the
correspondence between DEC Air Quality Management Branch and DEC South Region; (b) if no to (a), why not; (c) has DEC received from the Water Corporation any
letter committing to undertake odour remediation to the satisfaction of DEC if
any unreasonable odours are emitted outside Water Corporation’s licence; (d) if yes to (c), could you provide a copy of the letter; (e) if no to (c), why not; (f) has the Water Corporation provided DEC with an Odour
Management Plan (OMP) in the way it was required by DEC; (g) if yes to (f), could you provide a copy of the OMP; (h) if no to (f), why not; (i) If yes to (f), is the OMP part of the Licence under the Environmental Protection Act; (j) if no to (f), why not; (k) If no to (c) and or (f), could you please provide copy of any final agreement or correspondence between DEC and the Water Corporation that satisfied DEC so DEC in 2013 did not object to the amendment to GBRS 0020/57 proceeding; and (l) if no to (k), why not?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
27 February 2024
Responded by
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Environment
Response time
2 days
(a) No.
(b) A search of the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation’s (DWER) records did not locate any correspondence between the former DEC Air Quality Management Branch and DEC South West Region on this matter. The only DEC Air Quality Management Branch technical advice located was the Technical Advice memorandum (to the then Office of the Environmental Protection Authority) dated 5 July 2011 included in Tabled Paper 2537.
(c) No.
(d) Not applicable.
(e) A search of DWER records did not locate any correspondence directly between the Water Corporation and DEC on this matter.
(f) No.
(g) Not applicable.
(h) DWER and its predecessor agencies have not imposed any requirement under the Environmental Protection Act 1986 for the Water Corporation to provide an Odour Management Plan, as unreasonable odour emissions from the Bunbury/Dalyellup WWTP have not been established. A search of DWER’s records indicates there have been five odour complaints relating to this premises since 2014, none of which were confirmed.
(i) Not applicable.
(j) See answer to (h) above.
(k-l) See answer to (e) above.
(b) A search of the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation’s (DWER) records did not locate any correspondence between the former DEC Air Quality Management Branch and DEC South West Region on this matter. The only DEC Air Quality Management Branch technical advice located was the Technical Advice memorandum (to the then Office of the Environmental Protection Authority) dated 5 July 2011 included in Tabled Paper 2537.
(c) No.
(d) Not applicable.
(e) A search of DWER records did not locate any correspondence directly between the Water Corporation and DEC on this matter.
(f) No.
(g) Not applicable.
(h) DWER and its predecessor agencies have not imposed any requirement under the Environmental Protection Act 1986 for the Water Corporation to provide an Odour Management Plan, as unreasonable odour emissions from the Bunbury/Dalyellup WWTP have not been established. A search of DWER’s records indicates there have been five odour complaints relating to this premises since 2014, none of which were confirmed.
(i) Not applicable.
(j) See answer to (h) above.
(k-l) See answer to (e) above.
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