Veolia Environmental Services has been fined $15,000 for Pollution Studies and Reduction Program delay.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) issued Veolia Environmental Services with the $15,000 fine after the company failed to meet the submission deadline for a component of the Long-term Leachate Management Strategy for the Woodlawn Bioreactor near Tarago.
An EPA spokesperson said the Woodlawn Bioreactor was a key component of waste infrastructure but has “a long history of odour and leachate issues.”
“To address these, the EPA negotiated with Veolia to commit to a long-term Leachate Management Strategy which was formalised as a series of Pollution Studies and Pollution Reduction Programs attached to their environment protection licence,” the spokesperson said.
“Part of the strategy required Veolia to engage a consultant to investigate and report on the suitability of using two specific dams by November 30, 2016.
“Veolia submitted the required report on June 2, 2017 - 184 days after the due date, a breach of Veolia’s environment protection licence.”
The spokesperson said a consultant’s investigation had identified that further work was required to bring the dams up to the required standards.
“This work is ongoing,” the spokesperson said.
EPA Acting Manager Regional Waste Compliance Steven James said the EPA would still look to hold Veolia to the December 2017 deadline for the commissioning of a new leachate treatment plant, a key component of the long-term Leachate Management Strategy.
“These delays are unacceptable –but these investigations and reports are key in the long-term management of odour and leachate at the facility and such delays jeopardise the December 2017 deadline,” Mr James said.
“The fact is that the longer each step takes, the longer it will take for a leachate treatment plant to be commissioned. We will continue to work with Veolia to ensure it strives to meet its December deadline”.
Penalty notices are one of a number of tools the EPA can use to achieve environmental compliance including formal warnings, official cautions, licence conditions, notices and directions and prosecutions.
The spokesperson said the EPA had previously fined Veolia Environmental Services (Australia) $8,000 for causing an “unbearable smell” back in June, 2015.
In that case, the EPA issued a Penalty Infringement Notice for $8,000 to Veolia for causing “an odour so offensive that it unreasonably interfered with the comfort of a nearby resident.”
