Media release – Upper Plenty Action Group Inc., 29 April 2022

Upper Plenty Action Group Inc. request action from the EPA regarding environment protection concerns (Environment Protection Notice No. 11153/1)

The Upper Plenty Action Group has recently formed an incorporation of concerned residents, and businesses, in the Upper Plenty and surrounding areas. Our mission statement is to advocate for the health and wellbeing of the Upper Plenty, surrounding environment and community.

We are concerned that the Plenty Compost facility operated by Jenkins Hire Pty Ltd has been dumping unsafe and excessive amounts of industrial organic waste across ten property titles (983 hectares) in Glenfern and Plenty. This waste is dumped outside the EPA permit boundary, and likely through dubious methods – outside any regulations. This waste has included, but is not limited to human faecal waste, Salmon farm waste (dead fish, excess sludge with salmon food & salmon waste), Boyer-Norske Skog sludge, and waste from distilleries & breweries. Jenkins Hire Pty Ltd has been served yet another EPA notification for failing to compost according to Tasmanian regulations.

For over five years residents and local businesses have complained to the authorities regarding concerns for the practices by Jenkins Hire Pty Ltd. There is concern regarding water health, ongoing poor air quality, regular putrid offensive smells wafting from the property. Not to mention endless truck deliveries of waste at all hours of the day.

Local farmers, supplying fruit internationally, risk having their product tainted due to the poor air quality. The heritage listed Salmon Ponds is at risk of damage to its tourism brand. Most importantly – 250,000 residents in southern Tasmania, rely on drinking water which risks contamination from this site; as the Plenty River remains an unregulated major tributary in the Derwent catchment and is the last significant tributary to the Derwent River prior to Bryn Estyn intake.

Dr Fiona Beer (GP registrar at Derwent Valley Medical Clinic) is the president of the newly formed Upper Plenty Action Group. I moved to the area a year ago, and in this time, I have witnessed excavators’ clear land and spread waste across the vast hectares of the property. Trucks deliver 24-hours 7-days-a-week, including on public holidays. They enter via multiple entrances, outside the EPA permit area and simply dump large piles of waste on the land or in excavated holes. Native species & habitat dwindle on the land and in the river systems. Now driving past this property, one is confronted with a foul smell, which may contain airborne pathogens. When the road is wet vehicles are plastered with contaminated waste. In the short time that I have been working at the Derwent Valley Medical Clinic I have treated several patients who live in the vicinity of the Jenkins composting facility. Patients have attributed their medical conditions to the site. I fear the residents experience higher rates of respiratory illnesses, skin conditions, gastrointestinal illnesses, and suffer lower quality of life due to this facility.

For months myself, and many other locals have been complaining to the EPA and Derwent Valley Council (DVC) regarding the poor air quality and offensive odours multiple kilometres past the property. The EPA state waste outside the permit area is managed by the DVC, but the DVC states the EPA regulates this property. We believe TasWater has dumped waste at this property, hence they have been unable to be an impartial regulator. There is a theme of key decision makers being in conflict as to who is regulating the entire property. Meanwhile, Jenkins Hire Pty Ltd continues to receive thousands of tonnes of waste. Worryingly, this is not the only site which Jenkins Hire Pty Ltd has reportedly dumped waste on.

The current EPA notification clearly states there is no composting occurring, which infers decaying matter is left on the surface. Looking at The List, the property has multiple water run offs which feed into unregulated water ways supplying Hobart’s drinking water. Simply view the property (ID: 9733240) on The List and zoom in close to reveal aerial photos of waste being left on the surface – follow the contour and the creeks, rivers, and flows downstream between dams. Any person can see this waste runs towards the Hobart Water Catchment at the Bryn Estyn intake.

The Upper Plenty Action Group demand:

  • Federal parties to address the under-regulation of environmentally damaging practices in our state.
  • EPA Tasmania to liaise with other authorities to coordinate ongoing regulation of the entire 983 hectares.

We urge all individuals to pressure companies which deliver waste to sites managed by Jenkins Hire Pty. Ltd to review their practices.


Media release – Neighbours of Fish Farming, 1 May 2022

HOW THE SALMON INDUSTRY IS POLLUTING TASMANIAN RIVERS – and being subsidised to do it.

The filthy state of Tasmania’s Florentine River below a salmon hatchery demonstrated conclusively this weekend that Tasmanians are stumping up to a $240million subsidy to the industry – amounting to the equivalent of $400 for every man, woman and child in the state.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-30/salmon-farm-discharge-into-river-causes-alarm/101025338

That’s the budgeted cost of building a treatment plant to filter river water supplying Hobart’s drinking water – the financial burden for which is being carried by tax – and rate-payers.

Hatchery effluent is a huge contributor to the nutrient overload and algal blooms that poison rivers in Hobart’s water catchment, forcing construction of the Bryn Estyn treatment facility.

NOFF president, Peter George says:

“A complete review of all salmon industry hatcheries’ effluent and the health of rivers downstream must be the start of tough and urgent government action to stop the pollution of rivers and, particularly, those that feed Hobart’s water catchment.

‘Claims by the Saltas hatchery that its operations are “within the regulatory conditions” are a sad joke and reveal those conditions are totally inadequate.

A dignified resignation?

Meanwhile, claims by the EPA to be working with Saltas to “remedy the problem” reveal the agency’s continued inadequacy.

NOFF and its allies have been pressing the EPA’s director, Wes Ford, for more than three years to remedy the problem of the filth pouring into rivers from industry hatcheries. This Florentine River scandal reveals nothing has improved.

“Mr Ford conceded at a public meeting at South Arm more than two years ago that flow-through hatcheries were not fit for purpose. After all this time, if he hasn’t got the resources to properly monitor, regulate and penalise polluting hatcheries, his best course might be to resign to show his indignation,” says Peter George.

“Mr Ford’s organisation should be ashamed that it took a fly fisherman to spot and report the appalling state of the Florentine River downstream of the Saltas hatchery for which Tassal needs to shoulder the blame.”