TRIAZINE BAN TO BE DEBATED

139 Contamination Results 139 Too Many

www.tas.greens.org.au
The Tasmanian Greens today detailed in the Parliament water contamination test results which reveal that there have been at least 139 positive results for Triazines in Tasmanian rivers in recent years, with 13 of these contamination results coming directly from water treatment plants supplying Hobart and Launceston, and repeated their call for the Bartlett Government to implement a comprehensive ban on the use of Triazine herbicides in Tasmania.

Greens Water spokesperson Tim MP said that 139 instances of Triazines, which include Atrazine and Simazine, found in Tasmania’s rivers and waterways is 139 too many, and that the Greens will be bringing on for debate tomorrow their motion to have a statewide ban on the use of triazines implemented immediately.

“There have been at least 139 times that Triazines have been recorded in our waterways since 2005, including in water coming directly from the drinking plants supplying Hobart and Launceston, and that is 139 times too often,” Mr Morris said.

“Launceston is suffering particularly badly, with eight positive contamination results detected in its drinking water treatment plants, and shockingly 48 other positive results in rivers and creeks that feed into the city’s drinking water supplies.”

“A regional breakdown of these results reveals that in recent years there have been ninety-six Triazine contamination results for Triazines, in northern Tasmania, thirty five in the South, and eight in the North West, affecting at least 15 rivers.”

North: six in the Brid River, thirty-four in the Rubicon River, fifteen in the South-Esk River, twenty-six in the Macquarie River, two in the Liffey River, three in the Meander, one each in Western Creek and Brumbys Creek, and eight at Esk Water treatment plants. The Macquarie, South-Esk, Liffey and Meander Rivers, as well as Brumbys and Western Creek, all supply water into Launceston’s drinking water supply.

South: six in the Coal River, twenty-one in the Prosser River and tributaries, one in the Jordan River, two in the upper River Derwent, and five at Hobart Water treatment plant at Bryn Estyn. The Derwent supplies water into Hobart, while the Prosser River supplies drinking water to Orford and Triabunna

North-West: six in the Duck River, one in the Montague River and one in the Inglis River. It is unknown if North-West town water supplies were contaminated by these results.

“We will be bringing on our motion tomorrow, Wednesday, to ban Triazine herbicides, and we are calling on the Bartlett Government and Liberal Opposition to acknowledge the immense scale of contamination that is occurring in Tasmania, and to support the move to ban these chemicals from further use in this state,” Mr Morris said.
Tim Morris MP Greens Water Spokesperson