DESALINATION PLANT

In reply to the Hon. M. PARNELL (29 July 2011) (First Session).

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for State/Local Government Relations): The Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation has been advised that:

1. Development Approval required an outfall design to meet a dilution ratio of 58:1, which was achieved and demonstrated by AdelaideAqua. The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) operating licence criteria of 1.3 parts per thousand (PPT) was set after eco-toxicology studies, required by the EPA to be undertaken by AdelaideAqua, determined that the safe level for relevant local species was approximately 2.6—2.7 PPT above background levels. The EPA operating licence conditions are best practice and the most stringent in Australia. The limits are very conservative and set well below the level at which environmental impacts would be expected.

2. The South Australia community can be confident that the EPA licence requires continuous monitoring. Licence conditions include compulsory notification to the EPA and, if necessary, plant shut down, when certain monitored levels are reached. Monitoring results will be published on the EPA website. The monitoring will be independently verified, with SA Research and Development Institute (SARDI) testing the monitoring equipment accuracy. Initial background monitoring results are available on the EPA website.

3. Local geography means that conditions for one desalination plant may not be relevant to another and therefore the Port Stanvac Plant cannot be directly compared with other plants.