Watching Briefs

The EPA carries out 'watching briefs' into a range of environmental issues, in order to satisfy itself that there is no cause for concern or to gather information to enable it to make a decision on whether an inquiry is warranted. Watching Briefs do not result in formal advice to the Minister, however the EPA provides general information about its conclusions to the public.

Current EPA Watching Briefs

Edith River Train derailment and resultant copper concentrate spill

On 27 December 2011 a northbound freight train derailed at flood waters at the Edith River. The train was carrying copper concentrate from the Oz Minerals Prominent Hill mine in South Australia. The cause of the derailment is being investigated by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. NT WorkSafe is conducting investigations into aspects of the transport arrangements in relation to the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road and Rail Act, The Department of Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts & Sport (NRETAS) is carrying out water and sediment sampling to determine whether the copper concentrate, many tonnes of which spilled into the Edith River, has had or may have any adverse environmental impact. The EPA determined to conduct a Watching Brief into the incident in order to satisfy itself that:

1. The approval process for the AustralAsia Railway, including infrastructure standards and environmental controls, put adequate measures in place to protect the environment.
2. The regulator (currently the Transport Group of the Department of Lands & Planning) ensured the rail owner Genesee and Wyoming was responsive to identified vulnerabilities of the track and had established procedures for taking proactive measures in extreme weather events.
3. The exemption given to Oz Minerals by NT WorkSafe under the Transport of Dangerous Goods Act that permitted Oz Minerals to transport a dangerous good in the manner it did, was the result of a robust approval process within the framework of current knowledge at the time it was made.
4. The response by various regulators was timely, effective and proportionate.

The EPA’s initial concern was to satisfy itself that any immediate threat to the environment was being adequately addressed. The NRETAS water and sediment sampling results, which have been made public as they become available, provide a level of reassurance in this respect. The EPA is now seeking information about the scope of the investigations being conducted by the various agencies to ascertain the extent to which the EPA’s objectives are being addressed by the current investigations.

Mount Todd mine site uncontrolled release of water

During the night of 26/27 December 2011 rain in the Edith River catchment resulted in an uncontrolled release of water from a retention pond in the Mount Todd mine site. Vista Gold Australia Pty Ltd has exploration leases over the mine site and has a licence to release water from the retention pond when the Edith River reaches 0.8 metres. The water release on 26/27 December 2011 was the result of water overflowing the spillway. Preliminary enquiries made by the EPA following the incident identified that the uncontrolled release of water from the retention pond is not the only cause for concern regarding the potential for the mine site to have an adverse impact on water quality in the Edith River and further downstream. The situation is complicated by the fact that Vista Gold does not have environmental responsibility for the mine site as this is not a requirement under the exploration leases held by it. The mine is under the management of the Northern Territory Department of Resources, which has been carrying out remediation work over the last few years to protect water quality in the area. This work has recently included establishing diversion trenches to divert rainwater from the retention pond and tailings dam. Work is not yet completed and some of these trenches were damaged on the night of 26/27 December.

The EPA’s objectives in establishing its watching brief are to satisfy itself that:

1. The environmental management standards of the Department of Resources, while the mine has been under its control, met the standards established by it.
2. The regulator acted to ensure effective preparation by the responsible parties for extreme weather events, whether that be either Vista Gold or the Department of Resources or both, to the extent considered reasonable.
3. The response by the various regulators was timely, effective and proportionate.

The EPA is currently seeking information from the regulatory authorities to enable full consideration of these matters.

E. coli outbreaks at Darwin Harbour beaches

The EPA continues its watching brief on the E. coli outbreaks in Darwin Harbour, which commenced following beach closures in 2010 due to levels of E. coli elevated above recreational water quality guidelines. The primary objective of this watching brief is to ascertain the level of cooperation between the various agencies involved in responding to this public and environmental health concern. In October 2011 the NT Government established a multi-agency Darwin Harbour Beach Water Quality Taskforce with an independent Chair to investigate the sources and pathways of bacteria affecting water quality at Darwin beaches and waterways. The Taskforce released its initial report in December 2011, in which it stated that the water quality monitoring undertaken has met best practice. The Taskforce initial findings are that there would appear to be multiple sources of bacterial contamination of Darwin beaches and waterways. The Minister for Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage has announced the Territory Government’s intention to implement the Taskforce’s recommendations, which include the finalisation of a Stormwater Strategy, which has been on hold for the last few years.

The Taskforce is preparing a final report in which it will make detailed recommendations on a range of measures to address sources of bacteria in Darwin Harbour beaches and outline long-term monitoring options for providing an early warning system for any future risks to public health from bacteria on beaches. It will also contribute to a proposed education program to increase community awareness about the sources of pollution and the actions each individual can undertake to keep the harbour healthy. 

Land use planning and ecologically sustainable development in Alice Springs

Aspects of planning in Central Australia has been of interest to the EPA, to determine the extent to which ecologically sustainable principles are being put into practice in the planning for the new suburb of Kilgariff and the Alice Springs CBD Revitalisation Project.

This watching brief has now been closed and an informal report is being prepared for the Minister. A summary of the EPA’s conclusions will be posted once this report has been completed.

Rio Tinto Alcan Gove alumina spill