Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) has fined Energy Australia Yallourn more than $7,500 for breaching the Environment Protection Act 1970 (the Act) over an incident earlier this year where ash slurry was discharged into the Morwell River.
On 19 February, one of Energy Australia’s ash pipelines ruptured and about 8.6 million litres of ash slurry - a combination of solids and liquids - spilled into the Morwell River and subsequently the Latrobe River.
EPA officers inspected the site, determined the discharge was controlled and took samples of the spilled waste.
An EPA investigation found that the company had breached its licence condition, an offence under Section 27(2) of the Act, and was subsequently fined $7,584.
EPA Gippsland Manager Emily Sanders said the incident could have been prevented if the company had properly followed incident management procedures when the pipe ruptured.
“Our investigation found a number of failures, which subsequently led to the spill breaching containment barriers and ultimately flowing into the Morwell River,” she said.
“Fortunately, the impact of the spill material was diluted by river flows, minimising environmental impact and potential risk to human health.
“EPA takes it role as the environmental regulator seriously and this incident should serve as notice to all operators that appropriate action will be taken if breaches of the
Environment Protection Act 1970 are identified,” Ms Sanders said.