Speak up to stop AGL dumping toxic waste water in Westernport Bay

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) is currently considering AGL’s application to discharge toxic wastewater into Westernport Bay.

This is through the granting of a ‘works approval’ – a permit that AGL needs to be able to install their gas import terminal in this high conservation value marine environment.

The EPA wants to hear your views right now ahead of their upcoming decision.

Please have your say by Wednesday 31 March.

Tell the EPA that AGL’s inadequate science proves that AGL does not take environmental risk seriously and that dumping toxic wastewater into the sensitive wetlands of Westernport Bay is a catastrophically terrible idea – and therefore should be rejected.

We have put together some guidance, including from our legal and marine ecology experts on how to best respond to the EPA’s survey and address AGL’s shortcomings.

Answer EPA’s survey questions here using the guidance below.

EPA Survey

For more information about the process see the EPA webpage here.

Survey question 1. Please provide your comments below regarding AGL’s response to s22 (Questions 1 – 4)

AGL’s responses are inconsistent with the purposes of the State Environment Protection Policy (Waters) and therefore the EPA must not approve new wastewater discharges to waters of high conservation value of Westernport Bay.
AGL will be discharging contaminated and polluted water (from chlorine discharge and associated toxic by-products) into Westernport Bay, a high conservation value area.
AGL have failed to provide information to demonstrate that the wastewater discharges from the FSRU will “provide water for the environment” or will be reused in some way to help protect, or provide benefit to, the environment. Instead, AGL’s response demonstrates that the proposed discharge of wastewater will not provide water “for the environment”.
There is no evidence provided by AGL that the Ramsar wetland values, including ecological character that supports migratory birds, would benefit from the discharge.
AGL have failed to demonstrate that the wastewater discharges from the FSRU will “provide water for other uses”, and that the wastewater will be reused in some way rather than simply being disposed of.
AGL have not considered the chlorine byproducts impacts and how they would be dispersed throughout Westernport Bay, or the consideration of bioaccumulation or chronic ecotoxicology.
AGL does not demonstrate how they have taken reasonable and practicable measures regarding the operation and management of the FSRU to minimise risks to beneficial uses of Westernport.
AGL do not take environmental risk seriously.

Survey question 2. Please provide your comments below regarding AGL’s response to s22 (Question 8)