A review into the failure of monitoring equipment at Morwell south which provided incorrect air quality information to the community has exposed a number of issues with EPA’s processes for responding to a data fault.
Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley and Environment Protection Authority CEO Nial Finegan requested a review into the equipment malfunction and response which occurred in early March.
The incorrect data on 9 March led to an incorrect air quality reading of POOR then VERY POOR being displayed on the EPA public website for approximately 28 hours. This did not reflect the actual air quality during that time.
The review showed there was a repeated failure by EPA to appropriately notify key stakeholders and subsequently, rectify the false reading and to communicate that to the Latrobe Valley community.
Mr Finegan said EPA acknowledged it needed to respond in a manner that better matched the needs and expectations of the community and its partners.
"I am committed to working more closely with the community to better understand the air monitoring requirements and capability for the Latrobe Valley," he said.
"EPA has already implemented a number of improvements and has committed to further actions to improve its processes around air quality data collection, its validation and how it is communicated to the community. EPA is also committed to clarifying its role in emergencies."
"These actions are outlined in a report put together following the review. EPA will report progress against these actions to the Latrobe Valley Emergency Management Coal Mine Taskforce."
The review looked into the end-to-end process and capability of the air-monitoring network as well as the decision making processes and information provision to agencies, incident managers and community.
Mr Lapsley said while the incident was a "false report", it caused significant concern within a community that has experienced a range of challenges following the prolonged fire event in the Hazelwood mine a little over 12 months ago.
"The review has highlighted a number of issues that need improvement and we’ll continue to work with EPA to achieve outcomes that better reflect community need and expectations," he said.
The full report is available online.