Tenterfield Shire Council will receive its second caution in less than a year from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); the latest caution comes as a result of last week’s fire at the Tenterfield Waste Transfer Station.
An EPA spokesperson said the fire at the Sunny Loop Road facility had started about 1.50am on January 2, yet it was concerned Tenterfield residents who had first notified the EPA via th
It wasn’t until midday that the Tenterfield Shire Council had reported the incident to the EPA, the spokesperson said.e NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) Environment Line at 11.03am later that day.
“As a result of the fire and an inspection of the waste transfer station by EPA staff, the EPA has arranged a meeting with the council to officially caution them about delays in reporting and about enhanced responsibilities to report pollution incidents following the strengthening of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act; define the current and future management of the waste transfer station (the council will need to remove materials stored on the site to volumes under the EPA threshold whereby an Environment Protection Licence is required or make application for a licence); review the operation of the waste transfer station; and audit all the council’s waste management facilities (including Boonoo Boonoo and Legume) and implement corrective actions for any issues identified in the audits.
“EPA will be issuing Prevention Notices and Clean-up Notices to set specific deadlines for the council to meet in respect to these issues,” the spokesperson said.
This meeting is scheduled for Monday.
However, according to the council’s general manager Jim Gossage, the council had alerted the EPA of the fire about 7am on January 2.
“We’ve been dealing with the EPA and under their advice we’re putting out a press release (see page 6). There wasn’t any delay in reporting it. It was done first thing in the morning,” Mr Gossage told the Southern Free Times.
He also refuted any claims that the council may have been operating the waste transfer station illegally.
“It’s not licensed because they don’t have to be licensed. We don’t bury any waste there as it’s all transferred to the landfill,” Mr Gossage said.
The Tenterfield Shire C
ouncil had received a caution in May last year for its handling of issues at the Boonoo Boonoo landfill.
Story: Rebecca Brown
