Abbot Point Operations to invest in water monitoring equipment
Published by Stephanie Roker,
Editor
World Coal,
Abbot Point Operations has reached an agreement with the Queensland Government that will result in greater marine protection through further investment in water monitoring equipment at the site.
This agreement brings court proceedings relating to stormwater release during Cyclone Debbie to an end.
The following statement can be attributed to an Abbot Point Operations spokesperson: “Over the past two years Abbot Point Operations has continued to evolve and improve our environmental management practices.
“This has included significant enhancements to our infrastructure and to the way we operate.
“As part of this commitment to continually improve our environmental management, we welcome the Queensland Government’s acceptance of an Enforceable Undertaking application that we lodged voluntarily in order to deliver additional water quality monitoring at our site.
“This Enforceable Undertaking will help ensure positive environmental outcomes are achieved in the near-term instead of continuing prolonged court proceedings in the Magistrates Court related to an alleged floodwater release during Cyclone Debbie.
“This new water monitoring infrastructure will allow us to measure water quality in real time to assist in managing stormwater impacting our site. It will give the regulator and the community further confidence that our operations are being managed safely and responsibly.
“It is proposed that this new automated water quality monitoring system would be installed at the authorised flood water release point opposite the ocean to provide real time monitoring of water flows.
“This new initiative is in addition to the three-year major infrastructure upgrade program currently underway at the Terminal to improve water and environmental management.
“More than AUS$15 million in upgrades are in the process of final execution in what will be a series of multi-million dollar projects that will include: increasing the volume of water storage ponds, upgrade of a bund wall, including new piping and pump facilities, as well as our early works program on the redesign of remaining water management infrastructure at other release points.
“Further upgrades will be delivered by 2021 and will include: design and construction of an additional water storage pond, upgrades to all other release points, including upgrades to sumps, pumps and piping.”
Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/coal/21052019/abbot-point-operations-to-invest-in-water-monitoring-equipment/
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