Contaminated Waterways, Areas and Sites in Tasmania - A to Z

Contaminated Areas and Sites Legislation for Tasmania
Tasmanian Public and Environmental Health Network is reviewing the Tasmanian Environmental Management and Pollution Control Act [Part 5A - Contaminated Sites] and with advice from the Tasmanian Environmental Defenders Office have developed some key amendments.

The Tasmanian Public and Environmental Health Network's Contaminated Sites Legislative Amendments Position Paper December 2011 can be found at:


 * Toxic group's call for reforms on regulation of contaminated sites Tasmanian Public and Environmental Health Network Tasmanian Times, 14th December, 2011



The Tasmanian Public and Environmental Health Network's revised Contaminated Sites Legislative Amendments Options Paper September 2012 can be found at:


 * Tasmanian Greens called on to support pollution control reforms TPEHN & CRCSBCS Tasmanian Times, 14th September, 2012

TPEHN Legislative Options Paper Download

Turning Tips into Playgrounds
During the 1960s the conversion of suburban tips in Hobart into playing fields and childrens recreation areas was a popular activity. According to the Hobart City Council it made economic sense. At the time the council envisaged converting 60 acres of old refuse sites over the next 30 years [tips located at the Cross Roads on the Domain, at Wellesley Park in South Hobart, at New Town Bay and at Whitton's Quarry near the suburb of Dynnyrne]. These suburban rubbish tips are now well used sports ovals and outdoor recreation areas.

Water Contamination from existing Tip and Waste Sites
In 2001 a report of water contamination at existing tip sites in Tasmania highlighted the long-term effects of waste disposal on groundwater quality. The report identified five disposal sites that had contaminated groundwater; it included the Hobart City Council’s waste dump at McRobie’s Gully located in the suburb of South Hobart. The other sites with groundwater concerns were at Port Latta, Port Sorell, Mt George near Georgetown and Bridport.

“Groundwater contamination has been discovered mostly on older sites which were not built to current standards but which have met the standard of the day", the then Minister of the Environment, David Llewellyn said.

Mr Llewellyn said that while the Minerals Resources Tasmania report would not be finalised until November 2001, the Government believed it was necessary to start working with municipal councils to identify the extent of contamination and determine whether future groundwater protection strategies were required. The study also looked at the two existing land-fill tip sites in the Glenorchy City Council municipality at Jackson and Chapel Streets.

In 2002 a Mineral Resources Report by Andrew Ezzy The effects of waste disposal on groundwater quality in Tasmania was made public. Among many serious findings it stated that the Howrah Landfill site was an uncontrolled site. See also the Wentworth Park waste dump - Howrah Tipsite on Landfill pollution in Tasmania There was no monitoring done during landfilling or when the landfill was opened up for housing.

In 2003 Tasmania's State of the Environment Report acknowledged that at least 100 of 176 identified landfill sites were likely to contain toxic substances that could contaminate ground water and soil. Submissions from the Tasmanian Conservation Trust and various Tasmanian politicians to have such contaminated sites registered on land titles have been unsuccessful

A - Z Waterways and Drinking Water Supplies
BEING UPDATED

Contaminated by Metals

Main metal contaminants are: Aluminium, Arsenic, Cadmium, Copper, Chromium, Iron, Lead, Manganese, Nickel, Tin and Zinc.


 * Aberfoyle Creek
 * Argent Creek
 * Arthur River
 * Mount Bischoff Rehabilitation Program, Mineral Resources Tasmania,


 * Assay Creek [MMG Rosebery mine - ]
 * Austral Creek
 * Avoca [township]
 * Towns issued with water warning, Jodie Stephens, The Examiner 7th November, 2012


 * Bakers Creek [MMG Rosebery mine - ]
 * Boobyalla River
 * Branxholm Creek
 * Trustees of Scott's Estate v The Arba Tin Mining Company, The Mercury, 17th November, 1910,


 * Broderick Creek
 * Colliers Swamp
 * Comstock Creek
 * Concert Creek
 * Conglomerate Creek
 * Cooleys Creek
 * Derwent River
 * Public warned of Derwent fish risks, ABC News Tasmania, 5th April, 2013, 32 sites around the lower Derwent estuary warn against eating bream or shellfish and advise on weekly consumption limits for other fish such as flathead.


 * Dolcoath Creek
 * Dundas River
 * East Queen River
 * Filter Plant Creek [MMG Rosebery mine - ]
 * Fly By Night Creek
 * George River
 * Gipps Creek
 * Great Musselroe River
 * Haulage Creek
 * Idaho Creek
 * King River
 * Acid Mine Drainage, State of the Environment Report, 2003,


 * Lake Dora
 * Legerwood Rivulet
 * Linda Creek
 * Little Henty River
 * Little Musselroe River
 * Lisle Creek
 * Lucy Creek
 * Magazine Creek
 * Main Creek
 * Main Rivulet
 * Macquarie Harbour
 * Acid Mine Drainage, State of the Environment Report, 2003,


 * Macquarie River
 * Macquarie River water quality must be tested, Rene Hidding, Liberal Party MP, 10th May, 2010


 * Mill Creek
 * Nike Creek
 * Officers Creek
 * Oonah Creek
 * Parting Creek
 * Pea Soup Creek
 * Pieman River [MMG Rosebery mine - ]
 * Pioneer [township]
 * Towns issued with water warning, Jodie Stephens, The Examiner 7th November, 2012


 * Primrose Creek [MMG Rosebey mine - ]
 * Princess Creek [Mt Lyell Mine tailings dam - ]
 * Que River
 * Queen River
 * Acid Mine Drainage, State of the Environment Report, 2003,


 * Ring River [MMG Rosebery mine - ]
 * Acid Mine Drainage, State of the Environment Report, 2003,


 * Ringarooma [township]
 *  Don't drink the water, Ian Townsend, ABC Radio National, Background Briefing, 31st March, 2013,
 * Public Health Alerts, Department of Health and Human Services, 21st December, 2012


 * Ringarooma River
 * Planned tailings dam release to contaminate Rinagrooma Ramsar Wetland, Isla MacGregor, Tasmaniantimes.com 3rd April, 2013,


 * Rosebery Creek [MMG Rosebery mine - ]
 * Ruby Creek
 * Savage River
 * Acid Mine Drainage, State of the Environment Report, 2003,
 * Spill at mine dam probed, Nick Clark, The Mercury, 16th March, 2013,
 * I have never seen anything like it, Isla MacGregor, 25th March ,2013 Tasmaniantimes.com


 * Seal River
 * Shallamar Creek
 * Silver Lead Creek
 * South Esk River
 * Mine's toxic legacy on Tasmanian farm, Rosemary Grant, ABC Online, 10th August, 2009


 * Southwell River
 * Stitt River [MMG Rosebery mine - ]
 * Storys Creek
 * Mine's toxic legacy on Tasmanian farm, Rosemary Grant, ABC Online, 10th August, 2009


 * St Pauls River
 * Continued Monitoring of Heavy Metal Health Issues Recommended Dr Chrissie Pickin, Tasmanian Government Media Releases, 12th October, 2010,
 * Arsenic and Lead in drinking water – flawed advice on testing. Residents notified of alarming levels of arsenic and lead in drinking water at Royal George, but poor advice given to doctors on how to test for exposure, The LEAD Group Incorporated and Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania, Media Release, 3rd September, 2010,


 * Southwell Creek
 * Tamar River
 * Alert over river metal levels, Bruce Mounster The Mercury 7th November, 2012


 * Tinstone Creek
 * Waratah River
 * Mount Bischoff Rehabilitation Program, Mineral Resources Tasmania,


 * Websters Creek
 * Weld River
 * White Creek
 * Whitemark [township]
 * Lead contamination fears at Whitemark, Zona Black, The Examiner 11th May, 2012,


 * Whyte River
 * Wyniford Creek
 * Zeehan Rivulet

Contaminated from Landfill [leachate]


 * Carlton River
 * South Hobart Rivulet
 * Sundown Creek

A - Z Land

 * Austin's Ferry
 * Beaconsfield
 * Buried treasure and toxins at Beaconsfield Michael West Sydney Morning Herald, 3 August, 2012


 * Bell Bay
 * Tasmania's environment protection agency is on notice Greg Bishop Comment 6: Complaint to EPA on BHP Billiton's TEMCO plant at Bell Bay Tasmaniantimes.com


 * Burnie
 * Tassie's toxic time bomb Nick Clark Mercury, 6 December, 2009


 * Chapel Street, Glenorchy
 * Geilston Bay
 * George Town
 * Goodwood
 * Gormanston
 * Worst case of lead poisoning and Tasmanian Government inaction Elizabeth O'Brien ''LEAD Action News vol 8 no 3, 2001


 * Lenah Valley
 * Pollution watchdog failure sparks wider fears Linda Hunt ABC News, 7th November, 2011
 * Conflict in the Suburbs ABC 7.30, 4th November, 2011
 * New evidence Tasmanian EPA not doing it's job Kay Seltitzas Comment 12 from B McIntosh


 * Lindisfarne Bay
 * Lutana
 * Lutana and parts of Hobart eastern shore soil contamination Contaminated Sites Unit, Environment Protection Authority


 * New Town Bay
 * Old Proctor's Road, Mt Nelson
 * Price of Wales Bay
 * Pottery Creek Road. Glenorchy
 * The Domain
 * Queenstown
 * Rosebery
 * LEAD Action News "Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania, Rosebery Heavy Metal Table 2008" Note: "House 2" in the Heavy Metal Table is 14 Murchison Street, Rosebery.


 * Royal George
 * "Continued Monitoring of Heavy Metal Health Issues Recommended" Dr Chrissie Pickin, Tasmanian Government Media Releases, October 12, 2010.
 * The LEAD Group Incorporated and Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania, "Arsenic and Lead in drinking water – flawed advice on testing. Residents notified of alarming levels of arsenic and lead in drinking water at Royal George, but poor advice given to doctors on how to test for exposure", Media Release, September 3, 2010.


 * Wentworth Park, Howrah - Click on Landfill pollution in Tasmania
 * Wellesley Park, South Hobart
 * Williamsford
 * Zeehan

[In coming months, TPEHN members will upload historical material on many of these waste-landfill sites and add Googlearth contacts]

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Air pollution in Tasmania
 * Endocrine disrupting chemicals in Tasmania
 * Food quality in Tasmania
 * Landfill pollution in Tasmania
 * Marine toxicology and pollution in Tasmania
 * One Health - Human, Animal & Environmental Health in Tasmania
 * Toxic heavy metals in Tasmania
 * Urban - Industrial pollution in Tasmania
 * Water pollution in Tasmania
 * Pollution Information Tasmania

External resources

 * Monash University Investigative Journalism Students, "Dangerous Ground - The EPA's Toxic Legacy" Monash University Investigative Journalism Students, Monash University, Victoria 2011-2012


 * Kay Seltitzas, "New evidence Tasmanian EPA not doing its job" TPEHN Media Release, 13 November 2011


 * Jennie Herrera, "New book exposes government cover up on cancer cluster" TPEHN Media Release, 2nd July 2012


 * Jennie Herrera, "Secrecy on toxic dump questioned" TPEHN Media Release, 28th August, 2012


 * Isla MacGregor, Dr David Obendorf and Darren McKay, "Tasmanian Greens called on to support pollution control reforms and TPEHN legislative Options Paper Download" TPEHN and CRCSBCS Media Release, 14th September, 2012


 * Hannah Martin and Jarrad Bevan, "Toxic Time Bomb" The Mercury, 16th September, 2012