2019-02-12 Services & Organisation Committee Agenda

SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                             12 FEBRUARY 2019


RECOMMENDATION
That Council note the report by the Coordinator Environmental Health to the Services and
Organisation Committee Meeting dated 12 February 2019, and:
A.   Approve the introduction of an annual systematic inspection program of industrial premises
     within the Noosa Shire, as detailed in Attachment 1 “Industrial Premises to be Inspected
     Under a Systematic Inspection Program”, with inspections commencing 1 July 2019 under
     the Local Government Act 2009, to ensure industry compliance with the Environmental
     Protection Act 1994; and
B.   Note that the costs of this inspection program will be waived in the 2019/20 financial year
     and that Council will recover costs through levying an annual Special Charge from 1July
     2020 on properties hosting industrial activities determined by Council to require a structured
     inspection program with the amount to be charged to be determined in the 2020/2021
     budget process.

REPORT
1. Purpose
This report updates Council on actions agreed at the 20 July 2017 Ordinary Meeting to address
concerns into stormwater quality in the Noosa Industrial Estate, and the subsequent inspection of
industries previously licensed with Council as Environmentally Relevant Activities (ERAs). It
recommends the implementation of an inspection program and the introduction of a Special
Charge to recover the costs of the inspection program.
2. Background
An initial project was undertaken in June/July 2016 by an environmental health student working
with the environmental health team as part of her studies, which involved an investigation into the
quality of stormwater exiting from drainage points into Eenie Creek. The drainage area reviewed
was the Noosaville Industrial Estate, in the Rene Street precinct. As result of this preliminary
investigation and identification of pollution in Eenie Creek, Council agreed to fund a dedicated
inspection program to determine if the pollution resulted from Industrial premises in the area.
The subsequent project looked at the industrial activities in this industrial estate and rural
townships which had previously been licensed and inspected by Council under the
Environmental Protection Act as an Environmentally Relevant Activity (ERA) under an annual
Licensing Program.
The initial stormwater quality investigation found water quality impacts in Eenie Creek with
elevated levels in water temperature, pH, turbidity and hydrocarbons. The subsequent
investigation of industries within the affected stormwater catchment, supported concerns that
industry site management practices were likely to be a major contributor to poor water quality in
Eenie Creek.
Industry had been provided with advice that Council would be undertaking an inspection program
and staff were, for the most part, well received. Feedback to staff was that industry welcomed an
external overview of their operations as it helped provide a level playing field and an external
oversight achieved this outcome between competing industries.
Given the impacts on Eenie Creek and associated important waterways, which included a fish
habitat reserve (Lake Weyba), and the level of noncompliant site management practices of
industries inspected, it was recommended an annual inspection program be implemented. This
inspection program would include industries involved in activities that have the potential to
release environmentally harmful contaminants to waterways. A risk-based approach was
suggested to allow for low risk industries to be inspected every 2 years rather than annually.
Council considered the issue in July 2017 and agreed to the following actions:



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