The absolute madness of Deep Well Injection at Nufarm Ltd. Kwinana
Under license from the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) agricultural chemical manufacturer Nufarm Injects waste water containing:
Heavy Metals, Herbicides and Fungicides; Phenoxy compounds (Chlorophenols, 2,4-D, MCPA and Diacamba) 50 kg/year, Triazines (Altrazine, Prometryn, Simazine and Terbutryn) 20 kg/year, Ureas (Diuron and Fluometuron) 50 kg/year’ Olinate 10 kg/year, Trifluralin 30 kg/year, Anionic Surfacants 200 kg/year, total
Volume of wastewater licensed to be injected is:
8000 cubic metres/year from its herbicide manufacture process into a Deep Well Injection bore located at Kwinana approximately 1200 metres from Cockburn Sound.
The Deep Well injection bore was 1500 metres deep however after a leak was detected at ~ 217 metres depth in 1989 in which wastewater leaked into the ground ~ 200-300 metres of bore casing was removed.
Nufarm is the largest herbicide manufacturing company in Australia and in 2005 had at least 14 manufacturing facilities around the world.
In 2005/6 when the DEC and Kwinana Council once again approved this practice; Nufarm was experiencing record profits - $28.3 million net profit for the six months to January 31, 2005 – Nufarm expected an operating profit of $101 million for the full year, up 35 per cent on the previous year - and share prices were at the highest levels ever recorded.
Nufarm claims no economic alternative to deep well injection is available, the KPA is aware of alternative technologies but all technologies will come at a price – what is Nufarm willing to pay to treat its waste? – Deep well injection is the cheapest option as it costs nothing. Nufarm does not pay to dispose of its waste via deep well injection.
Nufarm has the only deep well injection bore in the state; the DOE and EPA have stated that they would not approve any other deep well injection.
WA is the only site in the world that Nufarm is allowed to inject its waste into deep well injection.
Deep Well Injection has been banned around the world, this is the only deep well injection allowed in Australia. The government’s policy is reflected in Environmental Protection Authority guidance statement 4 of March 2003, which states that no new deep-well injection proposals will be either considered or approved for Western Australia.
Our Local and State Government allow this practice to continue in Kwinana for one reason and one reason only – to protect the financial interests of this company.
Note:
This story is from 2005 but little has changed and the madness continues.
Steve worked for Nufarm at its joint venture Kwinana Chlor-Alkali Plant which is now wholly owned and operated by Coogee Chemicals.
Under license from the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) agricultural chemical manufacturer Nufarm Injects waste water containing:
Heavy Metals, Herbicides and Fungicides; Phenoxy compounds (Chlorophenols, 2,4-D, MCPA and Diacamba) 50 kg/year, Triazines (Altrazine, Prometryn, Simazine and Terbutryn) 20 kg/year, Ureas (Diuron and Fluometuron) 50 kg/year’ Olinate 10 kg/year, Trifluralin 30 kg/year, Anionic Surfacants 200 kg/year, total
Volume of wastewater licensed to be injected is:
8000 cubic metres/year from its herbicide manufacture process into a Deep Well Injection bore located at Kwinana approximately 1200 metres from Cockburn Sound.
The Deep Well injection bore was 1500 metres deep however after a leak was detected at ~ 217 metres depth in 1989 in which wastewater leaked into the ground ~ 200-300 metres of bore casing was removed.
Nufarm is the largest herbicide manufacturing company in Australia and in 2005 had at least 14 manufacturing facilities around the world.
In 2005/6 when the DEC and Kwinana Council once again approved this practice; Nufarm was experiencing record profits - $28.3 million net profit for the six months to January 31, 2005 – Nufarm expected an operating profit of $101 million for the full year, up 35 per cent on the previous year - and share prices were at the highest levels ever recorded.
Nufarm claims no economic alternative to deep well injection is available, the KPA is aware of alternative technologies but all technologies will come at a price – what is Nufarm willing to pay to treat its waste? – Deep well injection is the cheapest option as it costs nothing. Nufarm does not pay to dispose of its waste via deep well injection.
Nufarm has the only deep well injection bore in the state; the DOE and EPA have stated that they would not approve any other deep well injection.
WA is the only site in the world that Nufarm is allowed to inject its waste into deep well injection.
Deep Well Injection has been banned around the world, this is the only deep well injection allowed in Australia. The government’s policy is reflected in Environmental Protection Authority guidance statement 4 of March 2003, which states that no new deep-well injection proposals will be either considered or approved for Western Australia.
Our Local and State Government allow this practice to continue in Kwinana for one reason and one reason only – to protect the financial interests of this company.
Note:
This story is from 2005 but little has changed and the madness continues.
Steve worked for Nufarm at its joint venture Kwinana Chlor-Alkali Plant which is now wholly owned and operated by Coogee Chemicals.
Mum this one's for you!
5 comments:
The tecnology is available to treat these chemical wastes but Nufarm dont care enough to put their money where their mouth is.
Just like the old days of Chemical Industries Kwinana. Hasn't this site been polluted enough by unscrupulous money grubbing companies.
One posting RULE people - DO NOT USE NAMES of individual people.
What should have been said was "Nufarm told the Community years ago that alternative methods of waste disposal were in the pipeline. Must be a f****** long pipeline"???
It's elementry Dear Watson, how long is a piece of string?When you have this answer then you may know how long the f**** pipeline is.
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