A Quick Flick in The Stinky Pine

[Obi _ Wan]

Was bored yesterday so i decided to have a look at Deepwater Bend landbased,

shock-- horror what about the boat

Anyway after a couple of hours all i could skite about was a handful of very small bream and a couple of 6 0r 7 inch long choppers all caught on Berkley Power Bait minows.

As a side note, some of you may remember a thread dated back around the 14/08/08 by Brandon H which showed a pic of pollution in the Pine and the various replies coupled with others sending complaints to the EPA ???

On Monday 8/09/08 Shane (baitwaster) post a reply to that thread saying that he had recieved an answer from the EPA stating that, Yes there was an issue with the crap being released by Amcor (paper mill) and that the release had stopped etc.

I also recieved that email last Monday 15/09/08 when i returned from a Barra trip

Not happy with that so sent an email back to the EPA asking the following questions and also stating some of my beliefs.

1. If there was an issue with the release, What was the chemical/waste that was being released?

2. Are they being charged/fined for discharging waste into the river that was outside their licence agreement.

I also raised the following points,

1. If i had dumped a truck load of the same crap into the river, i would have the book thrown at me.
The river belongs to all the people of Queenslander, not Amcor.

2. Amcor should be charged/fined for the act of polluting the river, the fact that they employ a large number of people and/or possibly make donations to political parties, does not give them the right to pump that crap into the river.

3. I also stated that i believed that Amcor knew exactly what they were dumping, as in the past, as reported on this forum, when people have spoken to Amcor they have said, "No mate it's not us, it's the sewerage treatment plant". This dumping has been going on for years.

4. We all know that the smell has been around for years, we all thought is was the treament plant but it is the discharge from the paper mill.

When i recieve a reply i will post the answers to my questions, that is if i get a reply.

Regards,
John.

.

[jim_bream]

On ya Obi_Wan!
! too sent a fax to Yvette D'Ath (local pollie) and followed it up with a phone call, one of her staffers said that they were getting more and more correspondence regarding the matter.
And a pat on the back for chasing it up too, it's easy to sit back and grumble about what's bad, but getting off ya rump and following up (twice) is commendable.
We should all be doing more....
Jimbo

[modo]

Yer you would get the book chucked at you cause ain't loaded and you don't give cash for their political dribble and lies. It's not what you know it's how much cash you have or if there is enough of you to tip the political seasaw again'st them.

[Poodroo]

It's pretty disgusting eh John? It does seem that the laws apply only to the citizins and big companies are exempt. It's not acceptable. Good on you for making your voice heard. I guess on a larger scale it is like me going out in the bay with a hired dredge and dredging up several thousand tonnes of sand off the bottom. I too would have the law come down on me hard and fast but yet EPA have approved dredging sand out of the bay for the Brisbane parallel runway? Hmmm...

Poodroo

[Obi _ Wan]

It's pretty disgusting eh John? It does seem that the laws apply only to the citizins and big companies are exempt. It's not acceptable. Good on you for making your voice heard. I guess on a larger scale it is like me going out in the bay with a hired dredge and dredging up several thousand tonnes of sand off the bottom. I too would have the law come down on me hard and fast but yet EPA have approved dredging sand out of the bay for the Brisbane parallel runway? Hmmm...

Poodroo

Yeah mate, it gives me the tom tits, it always seems to be us, the little ones that suffer while the big corporations can get away with anything.

I got stuck into the EPA at one of the meetings, i questioned the destruction of the mangroves for the airport extension.

I was told that they could not do any thing about it as it was outside the Marine Park boundary, sure enough if you look at the proposed green zones chart you can seen they have drawn the boundary to accomodate the airport, You try and do that and see what happens.

I have no proof but i think the closure of The Fishermens Co-Op at Sandgate has been designed by our wonderful State Government.

I also had a go about the crap they are permitting to be pumped into the Pine River was probably the cause that constantly sees the Bay water quality testing bring in minus results for Bramble Bay.

Oh hell but then again i must be wrong, us rec. fishermen are the ones who are responsible for that, water quality, killing turtles, lack of fish stocks etc, or thats what they want the public to believe.

Sorry about the rant but i am totally stirred up with all the crap the public get fed about the bay. You know i reckon there are more fish in the bay now than there was 20 years ago.

John.

[lippa]

stick your guns mate, good on ya, was down stinky bend the other day, no discharge, but probably the worst i have smelt it in 10 years.

has the print media been shown the photographs?
be interesting if the local "pine rivers press" on "northern times"
takes the story up. or is amcors advertising dollar worth more?

cheers

lippa

[Obi _ Wan]

Thanks lippa, no i haven't gone to the media yet but i have threatened to.

Still waiting for a reply to my email to the EPA, which i sent last Monday afternoon.

Very interesting to hear that it still stinking, worst for 10 years, thats got to mean something so i will ring the EPA tomorrow.

Cheers,
John.

[lippa]

just found this on amcors website

Water

The paper making process uses vast amounts of water. The water within the Mill is reused, regenerated and recycled throughout the Mill for optimum use. Each day up to four Mega Litres (ML) of fresh water enters the Mill and is combined with 17 ML that has already been recycled through the Mill's processes. Water remains on site for up to six weeks before finally passing through an extensive water treatment system prior to entering the North Pine River. The treatment system consists of a series of aeration and settling ponds and a constructed wetland where final polishing of the water occurs. The calm and shallow artificial wetlands trap any remaining sediment and help purify polluted water through sunlight and absorption of nutrients and other pollutants by aquatic plants.

[Saltdoggy]

I Fish the pine most afternoons lately, the last couple of times i'v gone out i've seen runoff/water coming from the gravel plants area? And there's always a bunch of bubbles near it, like the waters got detergent/cleaning fluid in it...has anybody else seen this?

[Obi _ Wan]

Quick Update:

I rang the EPA this morning re as following.

1. lippa, i reported the smell as you stated, the worst for 10 years,

The EPA are going out to check Yebri Creek as thats the one on that bend.

2. Saltdoggy, I reported the detergent like bubbles and have been asked to get you to contact the EPA, CONTACT DETAILS AS FOLLOWS, Nadine Cramp, phone 32251079, fax 32258495.
Please contact her as soon as possible mate.

Finally results from the first complaint are still being resolved, to date the one thing they can say is that the water released has no oxygen which is a real concern. As to a fine and any other test findings, investigations are still taking place.

I will post as any result comes to hand.

Cheers,
John.

[mangrove rat]

nice work guys, its a real issue and a bit of a cover up by the sounds of it the last few years! i've never been up that far but im going up there tomorrow so i'll check it out and have a look when i go up there, probably the only way to keep them honest is for them to know we'll keep check on them as well as epa and governments!
cheers guys, can do

[jim_bream]

John,
as you might remember from last weekend, today is my last day at Courier Mail AND Quest Newspapers. I am about to go and find some journo's RIGHT NOW and send them the links to the posts on ausfish.

Anyone else wanting to contact the local papers (and I'd say the more emails they get the more likely they'll check it out) here are the email addresses:

If you want to write to the Pine Rivers Press, send an email to editorial@pineriverspress.com.au
If you want to write to the Northside Chronicle, send an email to
editorial@northsidechronicle.com.au

Jimbo

[jim_bream]

Just emailed Brian Williams (Courier Mail Environmental journalist),
I gave him the links to this thread and the other, he might want to get in touch with you, so heads up.
Jimbo