A Current Affair Article 10th April 2009

This evening, A Current Affair featured an article about the Association's campaign against the proposed Bitumen Emulsion Plant in Maddington. The article was very good, illustrated the concerns and opinions of the residents and ratepayers that attended our last meeting.

There hasn't been too much posted on here recently, maily due to time constraints. We do have some interesting updates on the going ons over the last month since our last meeting. Some of these items will be discussed at the Associations meeting that will be on Monday night (13th April) at 8pm at the Mud Hut.

A special thanks to Simon Bailey and the crew from ACA for an excellent job.

BWPRA Meeting 9th March 2009 - The Bitumen Plant Meeting

Last night, the Association hosted a community information meeting in lieu of its normal General Meeting. It was extremely well attended. The presence of A Current Affair made the evening a little more interesting than a typical General Meeting.
Notes of what transpired at the meeting will be posted soon.

Toxic asphalt plants built next to homes - Perthnow article 02/03/09

Narelle Towie, environment reporter

March 02, 2009 01:06pm

PLANS are being made for an asphalt plant just 100m from Maddington homes, despite Baldivis residents preparing to flee from a similar site built illegally last September.

The Maddington plant would be just 850m from East Kenwick Primary School.

Road construction company Downer EDi Works is waiting on the Department of Environment and Conservation to approve a building application.

Like the Baldivis site, which is 100m from the nearest residential property, the proposal cuts across environmental guidelines that recommend asphalt plants must be a full kilometre from homes.

The plant, 41km south of Perth, was built without government approval. It was fired up this week after a retrospective planning licence was granted.

The plant is needed to provide bitumen for the Perth to Bunbury Highway over the next nine months.

But residents say they are choking on diesel fumes that cause headaches, sore throats and stinging eyes.

The plant operator, the Southern Gateway Alliance, has offered to relocate affected families.

Residents say that while a relocation plan will provide temporary relief, they will have to return to contaminated land and water tanks.

Concerned Maddington residents have appealed to Environment Minister Donna Faragher to formally assess Downer EDi Works's application rather than leaving it in the hands of the DEC.

A spokesman for Maddington community group, Bickley Ward Progress and Ratepayers Association David Munut said the DEC had failed the people of Baldivis.

"The Maddington proposal has the capacity to adversely affect our air quality, and our quality of life,'' Mr Munut said.

"Unfortunately, recent events in Baldivis do not provide any confidence that our community will be looked after.''

"Anything less than a formal EPA assessment isn't only just an insult to our community, it's just blatantly stupid,'' he said.

The DEC maintain the Baldivis plant is safe.

In a statement it said: "The DEC only issued the works approval after it was satisfied that the environmental impact from the plant would be acceptable, as determined by odour modelling and air dispersion modelling.''

Baldivis plant operators, the Southern Gateway Alliance, were not fined or penalised for constructing their plant without government approval, the WA Planning Commission (WAPC) said.
City of Rockingham major Barry Sammels said he has written to the WAPC criticising their handling of the matter.

Dr Talbot says Environment Minister Donna Faragher has the power to move the Baldivis plant away from housing. She said she will be raising the issue in Parliament next month.

Residents say they will be pushing for a parliamentary inquiry into the matter.

Downer EDi did not return calls from The Sunday Times.

mailto:towien@sundaytimes.newsltd.com.au

Perthnow story link here.

Homes hit by fumes

The Sunday Times carried an article yesterday (1/3/09) that included information about the proposed asphalt plant in Maddington. Pertinent quotes from the article include “the proposal cuts across environmental guidelines that recommend asphalt plants must be a full kilometre from homes” and that the proposal is only 850 metres from East Kenwick Primary School.

The operator of the Baldivis plant has offered to relocate any affected families. I wonder if the Maddington proposal will include the same offer.

Proposed Bitumen Plant for Maddington / Kenwick

In December 2008, our Association became aware of this proposal for a 12,000 tonnes per annum bitumen emulsion plant. Our Association has a long standing concern over any proposals for the Maddington Industrial Area, particularly ones that have a capacity to affect the air quality in the region. We already have situations where odours and noise from existing facilities are impacting residents, and the addition of another facility is not prudent until it is fully assessed, and meets the expectations of the community.
The Association has referred this proposal to the EPA, who declined to assess the proposal. We are appealing this decision, as we feel that the proposal needs the required scrutiny of a very thorough assessment of its potential impacts before we allow it
into our community. The concerns that the Association currently have with this proposal are as follows:

1. Buffer Distances – The EPA’s Guidance Note on Separation Distances between Industrial and Sensitive Land Uses for an “Asphalt Plant” (which blends hot bitumen with aggregate) is 1000 metres. This proposal is within 100 metres of the nearest sensitive land uses (your homes). They argue that this is a bitumen emulsion plant (which blends hot bitumen, solvents, chemicals, water etc) which is not listed in the Guidance Note. If it handles hot bitumen, it’s an asphalt plant. If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck !
2. Environmental Impacts – We have concerns that the proposed plant will adversely impact the air quality in the area. This deterioration will be a result of releases of a range of bitumen related chemicals and their associated odour. Do not be fooled, as our Department of Environment would like you to believe, that an odour is not hazardous. We also have concerns on the cumulative impact of the bitumen plant and other odour sources in the area (poultry farms). This facility also proposes to release stormwater and wastewater into Bickley Brook, which is already degraded.
3. Similar Proposals – You may have read recently about a bitumen plant in Baldivis, which is 300 metres from residential homes, built without planning consent, given the go ahead by the Department of Environment, and is making life unbearable for local residents who are affected by the chemical odours, which caused headaches, burning throats, and caused their eyes to sting and water. We do not want this sort of problem in Maddington.
4. Current Environmental Performance – It would appear that the current site already has issues with the generation of odour from their wastewater handling system, and they have also caused a spill of hydrocarbons into Bickley Brook that required a clean-up of the area.
5. Inadequate Community Consultation – We also have concerns over the current level of advice and consultation that has occurred. A vague letter from the City of Gosnells, and a vague letter from the proponent, are not adequate, and are quite insulting.

Our Association is committed to stopping this proposal until it is proven that it will add to the value of our community, without poisoning the few that have to live with the impacts. Talk to your neighbours about this proposal and anyone that you think may have similar concerns.

Active communities get results, passive communities get poisoned.

The Association meets on the second Monday of the Month at the Mud Hut (cnr Brixton St and Kenwick Road) at 8pm. The next meeting is on the 9th of March.

Contact Details:

David Munut
0417 174 849
email: bickley.ward@gmail.com