Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) has fined a dairy farmer in the state’s north east for discharging cattle waste from its property on to a nearby road.
EPA officers discovered the breach after attending the dairy farm located in the King Valley area, near Wangaratta, in December last year.
EPA Officers saw a browny-green liquid overflowing from the property’s drains on to a nearby road reserve, and noticed that it had a strong cattle waste odour emanating from it.
Samples taken of the waste found it contained significant levels of E.coli and other pollutants.
EPA issued the farmer with a Pollution Abatement Notice (PAN) requiring that they modify their dairy effluent system to prevent any further discharges.
The farmer has begun work on meeting the conditions outlined in the PAN.
In addition to this, EPA issued the farmer with a $1771 fine for depositing industrial waste (dairy effluent) to a site not licensed to receive it, which is in breach of section s27A(2)(a) of the Environment Protection Act 1970.
EPA North East Manager Clare Kiely said allowing cattle waste to overflow in an area that the public could access was a breach of regulations.
“Business owners and individuals must be aware of their environmental and regulatory responsibilities,” she said.
“Fortunately in this instance, the discharge didn’t reach the nearby waterway but the effluent had the potential to impact on King River and cause health impacts for downstream users and aquatic life.”
“Dairy farmers are required to manage their dairy effluent in a way that does not allow it to discharge off site or impact on the environment.”
Guidelines on the proper management of dairy farms can be found by visiting: http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/business-and-industry/guidelines/water-guidance/dairy-farms-and-water
EPA encourages the community to report pollution to its 24-hour hotline on 1300 372 842 (1300 EPA VIC) or by visiting www.epa.vic.gov.au