NT EPA issues over $26,000 in fines for hydrocarbon spills
Pollution response officers recently received reports of two substantial hydrocarbon spills in Winnellie.
Following thorough investigations of both spills, three companies have been fined for breaches of Northern Territory (NT) environmental laws.
One spill involved waste mineral oils, a listed waste under the Waste Management and Pollution Control Act 1998 (NT). The mineral oils were in transformers destined for the scrap yard. The transformers were stored without security, a containment system or spill response equipment nearby.
Unfortunately, this poor practice meant that oil was released by a person or persons unknown and entered a stormwater drain which eventually drained to Darwin Harbour. This spill caused environmental nuisance; it was unsightly and caused a strong odour. No environmental harm was noted as a result of this incident.
Separately, a second incident occurred when an above-ground diesel storage tank overflowed while being re-filled. Like the first spill, this incident resulted in diesel entering the Darwin stormwater network and then Darwin Harbour.
Officers collected samples from the drain outfall which demonstrated that the diesel migrated to the harbour. While no environmental harm was observed following this incident, diesel can be toxic to marine organisms. This spill resulted in a substantial drain cleaning exercise costing thousands of dollars.
Pollution response officers attended the spill sites to assess the extent of pollution and collect evidence.
The officers interviewed witnesses, collected water and sediment samples, issued orders for clean up and, later, inspected clean up efforts. The team identified offences under the Waste Management and Pollution Control Act 1998 (NT) and the Water Act 1992 (NT) including:
- Improper storage of contaminants and waste
- Failure to comply with conditions of an Environmental Protection Licence and
- Causing waste to come into contact with water.
Together, these offences attracted fines of over $26,000.
The companies involved also received official warnings for:
- Failure to notify the NT EPA of an environmental incident within 24 hours
- Conducting activities which require a licence without a licence.
Darwin Harbour is a focal point for cultural, residential, commercial and industrial activity. Maintaining the health of the harbour is critical for all users of the harbour.
The sensitive nature of the harbour environment by monitoring discharges to Darwin Harbour is a focal point of our 2024-2025 compliance plan PDF (286.3 KB). The regulated community is reminded that all reasonable measures must be taken to prevent pollution to maintain the health of the Darwin harbour and protect our sensitive Territory environment.
The Environmental Regulation Division is committed to effective, risk-based regulation which enables development while minimising environmental harm. We apply our regulatory tools to discourage careless or negligent behaviour which causes environmental harm and contravenes NT environmental legislation, in accordance with the division’s compliance and enforcement policy and guideline PDF (286.3 KB).
The NT EPA accepts reports of environmental pollution through its pollution response line. Reports from the public provide crucial intelligence to help us combat environmental crime. You can make a report from NT EPA website.
