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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-10-30 Daily Xml
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WINGFIELD WASTE DEPOT

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (14:37): I seek leave to give a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation concerning the recent fire at the Wingfield dump.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD: The fire this month at the Wingfield dump burned for a number of days and caused a thick pall of smoke over parts of suburban Adelaide, as members would be aware. The fire occupied 16 MFS trucks and 60 firefighters working in horrendous conditions. There are reports that there were three fires there in three months back in 2012 as well.

A Channel 7 News report on 25 October stated that a year ago SA Water had requested the operator to upgrade the infrastructure in the vicinity. This was apparently a reference to installing fire hydrants and industrial water pipes in particular. The report states that the request was ignored. My questions to the minister are:

1. Was the lack of an adequate water supply in the locality a problem for the firefighters in this particular instance?

2. Did, roughly a year ago, SA Water request the operator to install fire hydrants and industrial water pipes so that fires, such as the one that actually occurred, could be put out easily and in a timely manner?

3. If the issue is the lack of an adequate water supply and it was identified a year ago, why was it that neither the Environment Protection Authority nor any other government agency ensured that appropriate action was taken during that time?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (14:38): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. Early on 16 October 2013, the Environment Protection Authority was notified by Adelaide Resource Recovery of a fire that had taken place at its site at Wingfield overnight. Adelaide Resource Recovery operates an EPA-licensed construction and demolition recycling business on the former Wingfield landfill at Wingfield. I have been informed that the fire has been extinguished, noting that some material continued to smoulder for some time. The Metropolitan Fire Service remained on site, I am advised, until 23 October to manage the smouldering material.

The cause of the fire is not yet known (or it has not been advised to me) and I suspect it will be in the near future. It is believed to have been started in a mixed waste storage area of the site. The Environment Protection Authority was on site every day since the fire began to engage with Adelaide Resource Recovery and the Metropolitan Fire Service to ensure there are no environmental impacts as a result of the fire or the management of it. The EPA undertook air monitoring, specifically the monitoring of particulate matter, comprising of 10 microns in diameter, during the fire. The results of the air monitoring are currently being reviewed by the EPA air quality experts. The EPA will undertake further site visits, of course, and will undertake an investigation to determine whether any potential breach of licence or legislation has occurred.

I am also advised that the Minister for Emergency Services called a meeting on Friday 25 October to discuss the incident. I understand that this meeting included representatives from the EPA, MFS, SAPOL, the local council, DTF and SA Water. I understand that this incident and any future plans for mitigation of and response to potential fires were discussed. As a result of this incident and discussion I am advised that the EPA is reviewing Adelaide Resource Recovery's licence, with the expectation that licence conditions will be changed.

Changes to the licence conditions are likely to involve stockpile heights being limited to four metres in height, and the separation distance around each stockpile is likely to be adjusted. I also understand that the MFS has commented on the amount of water available on the site to put out the fire. SA Water has advised me that the property is a large site and located at the end of a water main in a relatively low pressure area, which can impact the ability to draw large volumes of water from the main. The pressure is, however, within the requirements for SA Water customers.

Often large sites, such as hospitals or universities, will arrange for additional fire services for this reason, as it is the property owner's responsibility to ensure they have adequate on-site fire protection systems. I am advised that there were tanks on site, but these only provided a limited capacity for firefighting crews. I understand that SA Water has had discussions with the site's owners in the past about improving the water supply to the site to assist with firefighting, recommending they consider applying for either an enlarged water meter to supply the site or a 100 millimetre dedicated fire connection.

I understand that on this occasion SA Water's contractor, Allwater, was called for assistance and a network technician from Allwater arrived on site. I understand that the Allwater technician provided assistance to fire crews in relocating their filling point to an additional main in Wingfield Road where they could source adequate flow to assist in the firefighting efforts. We will continue to work with this company to make sure they apply the standards at their business that are expected of other businesses.

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