The Tuckers Creek contamination

The Tasmanian Greens today pursued their chemical trespass campaign and called on the Minister for Water to fully investigate the recent pesticide contamination of simazine at 8.9 parts per billion in Tuckers Creek, which is part of the Great Forester Catchment area that has a statutory management plan in place.

Greens Water spokesperson Tim Morris MP said the latest detection of simazine was well above the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines value of .05 parts per billion.

Mr Morris called on the Minister to report back to the Parliament on who caused the contamination, why it occurred, and whether the spray applicator had received adequate training in the risk management tools that are available including the Pesticide Impact Rating Index (PIRI).

“Given this latest detection of simazine, a member of the Triazine group of chemicals, was recorded at the alarmingly high level of 8.9 parts per billion in Tuckers Creeks, which was well above the Australian Drinking Water Guideline value of 0.5parts per billion, it seems clear the applicators of these dangerous pesticides have not been adequately trained in risk management practices and tools, or such events would not have occurred in the first place,” Mr Morris said.

”The irony is that Tasmania has invested in the development of a Pesticide Impact Rating Index, known as P.I.R.I, which both the Minister and users appear to be oblivious to.”

“What is the point of spending money on developing this kind of tool to only ignore it? What is the point of developing and then reviewing water management plans if they are not referenced, used or complied with?”

“There are only six statutory water management plans in place in Tasmania; one of which is the Greater Forester Water Management Plan, which includes Tuckers Creeks as a sub catchment area.”

“The Management Plan and associated documents contain detailed information regarding the known integrated environmental values of Tuckers Creek, including endemic native fish, snails and wetalnds – yet Tuckers Creek was poisoned.”

“If Labor was serious about protecting water quality and the associated known protected environment values within water catchment areas , then it would have and continue to be aggressively rolling the Pesticide Impact Rating Index, as well as ensuing the pesticide applicators were trained in risk management and aware of statutory water management plans.”

“If Labor was committed to training pesticide applicators and users in first was in place, then simazine would not have been applied in such a manner where it entered Tuckers Creek.”

“We have moved to require the to report back to the Parliament once the investigation has been completed, and to inform the House why the event occurred, who was responsible, and whether or not the applicator was aware of that a Catchment statutory management plan is in place, and adequately trained in the use of risk management tools including the Pesticide Impact Rating Index.”

“The Greens will be keeping the pressure on the Minister for Water to keep improving the regulatory, enforcement and education of those involved in the use of highly toxic pesticide until we see a significant reduction in the number of serious contamination events,” Mr Morris said.

Text of Motion tabled today by Tim Morris MP

That this House notes:

1. The Great Forester catchment has a water management plan in place; with Tucker Creek noted a being situated in the upper catchment, with identified integrated environmental values for fish, snails, and wetlands;

2. In September Simazine, a member of the Triazine groups of chemicals was detected in Tucker Creek at 8.7 parts per billion;

3. That this detection was above the Australian Drinking Water Guideline values of .05 parts per billion;

4. Further notes that the State has the Pesticide Impact Rating Index tool (PIRI) which was developed to eliminate these types of contamination events, and yet we have this serious event; and

5. Calls on the Minister to fully investigate who caused this contamination event, why it occurred, whether the spray applicator was adequately trained with the appropriate risk management tools and to report its finding to the House.

First published: 2011-10-27 10:50 PM

• ET: Chemical Trespass Unacceptable

Environment Tasmania has received yet a further report highlighting the growing problem of agrichemical aerial spray drift in Tasmania. The report from a concerned individual in Triabunna indicated early morning spraying on a plantation yesterday which caused significant spray drift into a nearby water course and homes. If proven to be accurate these reports highlight yet again the need to have chemical trespass laws that make the perpetrators of these acts accountable.

“Irrespective of what crop is being sprayed people have a right to expect that neither their properties nor they themselves will be contaminated with agrichemicals” said Peter Skillern Executive Officer Environment Tasmania. “This is a property rights issue and a significant health issue that all political parties should be looking at. It is no longer acceptable for the Government and regulatory authorities to turn a blind eye to these cases of chemical trespass”

“Current methods of application do not guarantee that the applied agrichemical stays exclusively within the target site and the broader community no longer accepts such spraying practises and standards. The Government needs to urgently implement chemical trespass laws as a matter of priority.” he concluded.