GAS plant noise complaints at Port Campbell have been outlined as a priority in the Environment Protection Auth-ority’s (EPA) latest annual compliance plan.
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EPA South West manager Eve Graham said the new plan articulated what the regulator would specifically investigate and which issues impacted local communities.
“EPA’s south-west arm will look specifically at long-standing noise complaints regarding gas plants in the Port Campbell area to plan how we manage the issue going forward, along with investigating noise sources in the North Geelong industrial area,” Ms Graham said.
The majority of the south-west region’s 986 pollution reports to EPA in the past financial year were air reports, followed by noise, water, waste and land.
After years of protesting the self-regulation of neighbouring gas plants, Port Campbell resident Greg Clarke has started a blog TwelveApostlesWhatAGas.blogspot.com.au) to monitor the issue and campaign for EPA action.
Mr Clarke said the gas plant near his home regularly gave off a “great explosion of sound — like the sound of a fighter jet”.
He said the sound shook houses, with a flare shooting 10 metres into the sky.
“This is an unplanned event and even if it happens twice a day it will not be regarded as excessive noise,” he wrote in a recent blog post.
“That 10-metre flame is permissible even on days of total fire ban. Hard to believe after the events of Black Saturday.”
Ms Graham said the EPA south-west office would continue supporting statewide operational strategies for issues such as large-scale illegal dumping, dairy effluent management, small wastewater treatment plants, sediment run-off from construction sites and dairy processing facilities.
She said the process of community reporting and feedback through forums and via EPA’s pollution hotline was vitally important to ensure areas of most importance were targeted in field and compliance work.
“The annual compliance plan will ensure that business and the community are clear on the actions of the regulator for this coming financial year.”