2017-07-11 Planning & Environment Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                      11 JULY 2017


As result of this preliminary investigation and identification of pollution in Eenie Creek, Council
agreed to fund a dedicated inspection program in 2016/17 to determine if the pollution resulted
from Industrial premises in the area.

The subsequent Inspection Program approved by Council, examined the industrial activities in
this industrial estate, that had previously been licensed and inspected by Council under the
Environmental Protection Act as an Environmentally Relevant Activity (ERA) under an annual
Licensing Program.

3.   Environmental Protection Act and Licensed Environmental Relevant Activities
     (ERA’S)

Up until 2013, local authorities were charged with a legislative responsibility to license and
inspect industrial activities that had the potential to release a contaminant into the environment
during the conduct of that industrial activity. These activities were described as Environmentally
Relevant Activities ERA’S). Some examples of these activities are industries involved in concrete
batching, boat building/maintenance, spray painting, mechanical workshops, asphalt
manufacture and metal work etc.

In 2013 as part of the Queensland Government’s green tape reduction exercise, the Government
removed the requirement for most of these industrial activities to be licensed. Council previously
licensed 120 ERA’s, but is now only licensing 19 premises including boat building, metal
recovery, and asphalt industries.

Previously licensed activities had license conditions covering all aspects of site management in
terms of waste, water or air discharges. These conditions transferred across to become planning
approval conditions under the Sustainable Planning Act. This enables enforcement options under
either the Sustainable Planning Act, or the environmental nuisance or harm provisions of the
Environmental Protection Act, if a complaint is made to Council. This process is not proactive and
has resulted in a significant impact on the environment.

The major concern for local authorities when this amendment was proposed, was the loss of
revenue to enable local authorities to inspect and monitor these activities and manage any
enforcement matters.

Since 2013 Council’s involvement with these activities has been solely complaint driven, i.e.
responding to complaints concerning nuisances from noise, odour and dust. Unless there is
some visually obvious waterway discolouration from oil or paint etc., any waste management
problems causing contamination of stormwater are not identified. Previously the regular
inspection of ERA’s proactively identified defects and enabled staff to rectify potential sources of
pollution.

4.   Initial project - Noosa industrial estate stormwater pollution investigation

This project was undertaken by an environmental health student Helen Eyre working with Council
in 2016 as part her work experience requirements. The investigation and subsequent report
formed part of her university qualification requirements. Helen went on to complete her studies
and graduated at the end of 2016 with a Bachelor of Natural Science, Environment & Health.

The investigation undertaken over several months, involved water sampling from 2 stormwater
outlets collecting stormwater from the Noosaville industrial area and discharging into Eenie
Creek.




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