Latest news with #DWER
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
REVEALED: The Perth suburb set for new basketball courts
It's game on for outdoor basketball lovers as the City of Joondalup will once again consider new outdoor basketball facilities. At Tuesday's council meeting, the council voted to consider the installation of new outdoor basketball facilities as part of its upcoming annual budget process. Council also voted to ensure that the City gives due regard to the impact of noise from the outdoor basketball facility on nearby residents, by noting that any new outdoor basketball facility would still need to comply with the requirements of the Environment Protection (Noise) Regulations act, which any outdoor basketball facilities in WA must comply with. Your local paper, whenever you want it. They noted that clear State Government guidelines around the provision of outdoor basketball facilities were unlikely to proceed, which had caused years of uncertainty around outdoor basketball facilities. The city has faced challenges over installing basketball courts since 2021 from noise complaints and uncertainty surrounding the status of State-level policies. The basketball ring at Braden Park in Marmion before it was removed in early 2022. Credit: Tyler Brown The most notable case of community debate over basketball facilities is Braden Park in Marmion. In 2019, the council received a petition with 165 signatures requesting a basketball pad as part of the Braden Park playground renewal, with construction scheduled for 2021. Seventy-nine per cent of surveyed residents supported the installation. However, the city later received a second petition with 68 signatures calling for the removal of the basketball pad and four-square court. Despite 77.2 per cent of surveyed residents living within 200 metres opposing its removal, the basketball pad was removed in early 2022 just five months after it was installed. Calls to have the basketball pad reinstalled just weeks later prompted the city to review its policies, which ultimately decided that any action should be delayed until expected guidelines from the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation were released. However, the draft guidelines on noise from outdoor community basketball facilities were withdrawn by DWER in February 2023, leaving local governments to continue managing existing facilities. Currently, the city has basketball facilities at 47 of its public open spaces, ranging from full courts to three-on-three pads and one-on-one pads. 'Outdoor recreational basketball facilities provide health and wellbeing benefits to the community and have proved to be very popular with people of all ages and abilities,' a report said. 'It, however, unfortunately can also be polarising within a community, and as such the provision of these facilities should be considered carefully on a case-by-case basis.' Despite noise concerns plaguing certain locations, the city does not believe it to be a widespread issue. There are 17 pads less than 50 metres from homes. The closest is at Chadstone Park in Craigie, where a one-on-one pad sits just 21 metres from the nearest residence. Falkland Park in Kinross, at 147 metres, is the furthest. 'Undesirable noise associated with basketball play does not appear to be an issue at most of these locations as the city has, over the years, received complaints from a small number of nearby residents at only a couple of locations,' city officers said. 'Where a complaint has been received, the city has investigated the matters raised and taken the most appropriate action depending on the specific circumstances.' Measures taken to address concerns include noise monitoring, backboard modifications, time restrictions, education, and CCTV surveillance. It remains unclear if the basketball pad at Braden Park in Marmion will be reinstated.
West Australian
4 days ago
- General
- West Australian
No end in sight for Boulder odour, but mayor says ‘process modifications' have been implemented
There is currently no end in sight for the smell which has been plaguing Boulder, with mayor Glenn Wilson unable to estimate when it might end, but revealing 'process modifications' had been recently implemented. The City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder is working with the Department of Water and Environment Regulation, who received the city's independent odour investigation report, to address several factors at the South Boulder Wastewater Treatment Plant that could impact odour issues in the city. When asked by the Kalgoorlie Miner what progress had been made recently, Mr Wilson said process modifications were implemented last week at the plant, with additional changes scheduled during the next two months. 'We understand the continued odour in Boulder is frustrating for residents and, unfortunately, there's no simple answer,' he said. 'The odour is coming from several sources, many of which are outside the city's control. 'While we can't give a date for when it will stop, we're focused on addressing what's within our reach and making sure upgrades to our facility stay on track. 'We're also continuing to work closely with DWER on the wider issue.' Mr Wilson said relevant parts of the independent report were shared with private operators identified as contributors, but he could not comment on what progress, if any, had been made by them to reduce the smell. He encouraged residents to continue reporting instances of the odour at Described by residents as a 'rotten-egg smell', 'sewage smell', and 'chemical smell', the odour has long been a source of community complaints. In response to ongoing concerns, the city engaged Perth-based odour specialist Philippe Najean from OPAM Consulting, who assessed the issue and reported his findings to the council. The wastewater treatment plant was identified as a 'significant contributor' to the smell, with the report saying implementation of 'more effective measures' — such as the upgraded intermittent decanted extended aeration plant — would help create a more 'pleasant environment' for all. The Western Resource Recovery odour emissions were also found to have an effect at further distances — at least 2.5km — but the report says additional assessment is required to assess the true distance. The increased height of the Super Pit bund wall on the south side has also been identified as an issue regarding dissipation of the plume. Recycled water used for irrigation in local parks, especially Wingate Street and Norkal parks, and aircraft activity at the airport, also contributed to odours reported by the community. A potential contributing odour from Fimiston was also recognised, but the report says additional assessment will be required to confirm if it is affecting the community. The BHP nickel smelter and Lynas Rare Earths processing facility were not fully operational during the investigation.
West Australian
14-05-2025
- Health
- West Australian
DWER confirms compost sold by Bunbury Harvey Regional Council contained toxic PFAS chemicals
The South West's ongoing battle with PFAS waste has entered a new chapter, with the revelation compost sold to the public by the Bunbury Harvey Regional Council contained traces of the toxic chemicals. The council-owned waste processing facility in Dardanup had been converting FOGO waste into compost for more than a decade, but operations paused in December last year due to high concentrations of non-organic waste in the bins. The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation confirmed results from compost testing in May and October last year detected 'low, but above laboratory detection limits' PFAS contamination. A DWER spokesperson said the contamination was 'understood to have originated from the feedstocks (including FOGO waste) received at the Wellington Group of Councils Composting Facility'. 'DWER is working with BHRC and affected local governments to find alternative interim FOGO processing solutions and to reduce FOGO contamination,' they said. Dardanup resident Lionel Machen has regularly purchased compost from the BHRC for his vegetable garden where he grows seasonal produce for his family to eat. He said he wasn't overly concerned about his own health, but was fearful what effect the forever chemicals may have for generations down the line. 'Long term is not going to affect us because we're too old and apparently short term it doesn't have any immediate effect,' he said. 'The small amount that my children will have ingested may not affect them, but I've got grandkids, and no doubt, one day they'll have kids. And so it goes on and on and on and on. It's there forever. 'It's going to get worse and worse and worse as each generation comes along.' BHRC chief executive Nick Edwards said the compost facility was closed as a 'cautionary approach' and said the compost appeared to be safe from their testing. 'The initial results that we are getting back from the laboratory seem to be showing that it's safe for use,' he said. Mr Edwards said PFAS was a complex issue which they were working through. 'There's over 4500 different chemicals under that umbrella and some of them are good, some of them present a risk, but we're working with DWER and the community to make sure that everyone's as safe as we can possibly get,' he said. 'Certainly nothing that we do onsite, none of our processes, none of our processing, adds any concentration of this material to the compost that we produce.' Mr Edwards urged the public to be 'extra careful and vigilant' and ensure only organic waste was put in FOGO bins. Premier Roger Cook weighed in on the issue earlier this week, although admitted he hadn't previously been aware of it. 'That sounds very concerning. I expect public health will be on top of that immediately to make sure that they can assess any risk to the public and then ensure that matters are resolved to reduce that risk,' he said. 'The biggest risk about PFAS is its entrance into the food chain, either via water or via food. 'We expect that that will be assessed and addressed as a matter of urgency.'
ABC News
12-05-2025
- Health
- ABC News
PFAS-contaminated compost sold to public, WA environmental regulator confirms
Leonard Machen had been filling his home vegetable garden with compost from a council-owned organic waste facility for years when he heard rumours it might be contaminated. Based in Dardanup, about 180 kilometres south of Perth, Bunbury Harvey Regional Council (BHRC) has been turning kerbside food organics and garden organics (FOGO) waste from more than 40,000 South West households into compost for over a decade. It then sells it back to residents and donates it to schools and community gardens. The ABC can now confirm samples of the compost tested by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) in May and October last year contained a group of toxic "forever chemicals" called PFAS "above laboratory detection limits". Mr Machen said the scale of the health risk was unclear but he had started removing the compost from his garden to be safe. "You can't get any real answers from anyone," he said. The facility stopped selling the compost and ceased all FOGO processing in December. Local governments have started diverting it to landfill as they explore alternative solutions. PFAS is found in a range of household products, even ones that claim to be compostable, like coffee cups. Federal guidelines warn the chemicals can bioaccumulate in plants and animals with adverse impacts, and some varieties are recognised internationally as being toxic to humans and wildlife. DWER said the FOGO waste was likely contaminated by household waste and plastics mixed up in green bins before it reached the facility. The department said concentrations were generally low but any waste containing detectable levels of PFAS was unsuitable for recycling into compost. However, it declined to comment on whether people should remove the contaminated product from their gardens. BHRC chief executive Nick Edwards said while the council stopped selling the compost out of caution he did not think it was unsafe and would still happily use it on his own garden. He said preliminary results of independent testing commissioned by BHRC had not detected PFAS, though he would not share the name of the company conducting the testing. "It's important the focus is on the results rather than the company that's doing them," he said. Mr Edwards said he was committed to getting the facility back up and running but it would take a whole-of-community effort. The facility has struggled in recent years to manage increasing volumes of contaminated waste. Mr Edwards said the waste was largely processed manually, then put through an 8-millimetre sieve before being sold. Mr Machen, who has found several larger items like a plastic toy lion and roll of sticky tape in the compost, said decontamination measures were clearly falling short. Jill Cross, a member of the Dardanup Environmental Action Group, said she had struggled to get clear information from BHRC or DWER about the level of PFAS contamination and potential health risks. She said residents were worried that by the time it was better understood, it would be too late. "It will be in the dust which will blow onto agricultural land and into Dardanup town site," she said. "It will blow on people's roofs, into their water tanks." Ms Cross said the regulator had failed to take BHRC to task on its management of the facility. In 2016, BHRC successfully pushed back on several aspects of DWER's proposed composting standards, including the mandate that organic processing facilities be enclosed to prevent the spread of pollutants and minimise methane emissions. In 2023, DWER issued a prevention notice to BHRC for failing to store waste, including partially processed compost stockpiles, under its licence, which posed a significant risk of pollution. When asked if BHRC had complied with that notice, DWER said it was the subject of an "ongoing investigation". "Therefore, it is not appropriate to make comment on the compliance status of the notice," a spokesperson said. Mr Edwards told the ABC the facility met some but not all of the requirements by the deadline and was working closely with DWER on the remainder.
ABC News
29-04-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Dardanup locals 'gutted' over approval of toxic PFAS disposal at local tip
Residents of a small community in Western Australia's South West have been left outraged by a state government decision to green-light the disposal of toxic chemicals at their local rubbish tip. The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) has approved a licence amendment for the Cleanaway-owned rubbish facility at Crooked Brook on the outskirts of Dardanup, 180 kilometres south of Perth. The change will allow for waste contaminated with PFAS, and other dangerous chemicals, to be buried at the landfill. PFAS synthetic chemicals are found in low levels across much of Australia, as they have been used for more than 50 years in common residential and industrial items. They are considered "forever" chemicals, as they are highly persistent in the environment and take a long time to break down, and some varieties Dardanup Environmental Action Group (DEAG) spokesperson Jill Cross said she was "angry, disheartened and gutted" by the decision, after 1,700 locals signed a petition against the proposal. Dardanup woman Jill Cross says she is "gutted" over DWER's decision. ( ABC South West WA / Georgia Loney ) She said residents were concerned the waste site, which was "It's not just groundwater [which is a concern], but also dust from that site," Ms Cross said. "Everyone is relying on those liners to make sure the aquifer is protected … and at some stage they will fail. " Once you've got PFAS you've got it forever. " Shire opposed to PFAS decision Dardanup Shire President Tyrrell Gardiner said the potential for contamination was also front of mind for the council. Cr Gardiner said the council had objected to the change on several grounds, including the potential for contaminated dust and the life span of the landfill's liners. "Hopefully it doesn't happen at all, but it is likely to happen in the long-term future," he said. "We've got to support our community on this one. "It's just another approval to that site, which adds to the concerns of the people who live around it." Mr Gardiner said decisions to expand operations at the site had been subject to state government discretion since its construction in the 1990s. "As a local government authority, we are absolutely hamstrung in trying to get some control," he said. A cleanaway truck driving through the Dardanup townsite. ( ABC News: Kate Stephens ) Regulators content with containment The DWER approval referenced an independent investigation in 2021 that indicated the landfill was not located on a vulnerable groundwater system. The report also found containment measures were sufficient to manage the risks associated with PFAS-contaminated waste. Photo shows Close-up of a restaurant waiter handing over food packets to a woman customer. PFAS chemicals are used in a vast number of waterproof, non-stick and stain-resistant products. But concerns about their environmental and potential health impacts have intensified in recent years. "PFAS are persistent chemicals that require careful management," the DWER spokesperson said. "Our assessment considered the construction and lining of the landfill cells, leachate controls, and long-term groundwater monitoring." As part of the decision, DWER also reviewed Cleanaway's monitoring report from last year and found that PFAS concentrations in groundwater were consistent with background levels and below guideline thresholds. The amendment is now open for a public appeal period until May 14. Minister for Water and the South West Don Punch declined to comment. Minister for Environment Matthew Swinbourn was also contacted for comment.
