Orica Kooragang Island. Community Reference Group. Monthly Briefing Paper #3 January 2012 ISSUED FOR CRG MEETING ON 30 JANUARY 2012

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1 Orica Kooragang Island Community Reference Group Monthly Briefing Paper #3 January 2012 ISSUED FOR CRG MEETING ON 30 JANUARY Introduction This Briefing Paper focuses on activity and events during the month of November and December 2011 (with the exception of community engagement activity which is reported for December 2012 and January 2012). 2. Safety and Environmental Reporting Orica KI records safety and environmental incidents and opportunities for improvement in the Safety, Health and Environmental Reporting and Management Information System. Each incident has a nominated manager who ensures that the incident is investigated where required, and actions generated to minimise the potential for recurrence. Actions associated with the incident are captured in a database with responsibilities and scheduled due dates to ensure completion. Category December 2011 Summary Injuries 0 There were no injuries that required medical treatment. Environmental Non Compliances 0 Refer to Site Loss of Containment below. Complaints 6 Slight ammonia odour reported at a neighbouring industrial property. An investigation was not able to identify the source of the odour. Particulate emission from southern area of site associated with the No. 2 Ammonium Nitrate Plant coming offline during a plant start-up. The operating procedure was reviewed and changes were made to minimise the potential for recurrence of the incident. Cooling Tower emissions from site. The Cooling Towers were operating normally. Particulate emissions from Prill Tower. The Prill Tower was operating normally at the time. Hotline not manned. Hotline was manned and call was answered. Complaint of acrid odour at Mayfield West. Fire and Rescue NSW investigated. There were no activities onsite at the time that could have CRG Briefing Paper #3 January

2 Category December 2011 Summary contributed to this odour. Site Loss of Containment 1 7 December 2011 weak ammonium nitrate solution overflowed a bund and was discharged to ground. November and December 2011 Environmental Performance The following section provides compliance information for November and December Water Emissions Effluent is waste water captured across the site and discharged to the Hunter River North Arm via a licensed discharge point. Daily composite sampling is undertaken on arsenic, chromium VI, zinc, nitrogen and total suspended solids. ph, temperature and flow are monitored continuously and oil and grease twice weekly. November 2011 Effluent Licence 100% Limit Min Max Avg Compliance (Monitoring Point 23) ph (%) 6.2 to Temperature (%) Max 43 C Oil and Grease 10mg/L Arsenic 0.05mg/L < Chromium VI 0.2mg/L < Zinc 5mg/L Nitrogen 2000mg/L Total Suspended Solids 50mg/L Effluent Volume 4500kL/day December 2011 Effluent Licence 100% Limit Min Max Avg Compliance (Monitoring Point 23) ph (%) 6.2 to Temperature (%) Max 43 C Oil and Grease 10mg/L Arsenic 0.05mg/L < Chromium VI 0.2mg/L < Zinc 5mg/L Nitrogen 2000mg/L Total Suspended Solids 50mg/L Effluent Volume 4500kL/day Stormwater Orica is required to collect a monthly sample, during a rain event, from the site stormwater drains. The results for November and December are shown in the tables below. Stormwater Drain Total Suspended Solids mg/l Arsenic mg/l November 2011 Chromium VI mg/l Total Nitrogen mg/l ph Phosphate mg/l CRG Briefing Paper #3 January

3 1 41 <0.01 < <0.01 < < < <0.01 < Stormwater Drain Total Suspended Solids mg/l December 2011 Arsenic Chromium mg/l VI mg/l Total Nitrogen mg/l ph Phosphate mg/l 1 12 <0.01 < <0.01 < < < <0.010 < <0.01 < There is a Pollution Reduction Program to install automatic samplers on the stormwater drains by 31 March 2012 to address the issues involved in manually collecting samples. Air Emissions NOx Limits Licenc e 99% Limit Hours above limit No. Hours above the Limit (YTD) November 2011 No. Hours per Year allowed above the Licence Limit No. 1 Nitric Acid Plant 400ppm No. 2 Nitric Acid Plant 250ppm No. 3 Nitric Acid Plant 200ppm NOx Limits Licence 99% Limit Hours above limit No. Hours above the Limit (YTD) December 2011 No. Hours per Year allowed above the Licence Limit No. 1 Nitric Acid Plant 400ppm No. 2 Nitric Acid Plant 250ppm No. 3 Nitric Acid Plant 200ppm Note: The Environment Protection Licence Year runs from 1/04/11 31/03/12 Orica acknowledges the request from a CRG member to include min, max and average NOx data in this report. This request requires additional manual data analysis and will be prepared for the next CRG briefing paper. On an annual basis additional stacks are monitored for a range of parameters and information on the results of this monitoring will be reported upon completion of the tests. Air Quality Continuous monitoring of ambient nitrogen dioxide concentrations is undertaken in Roxburgh St, Stockton. Location Pollutant November 2011 NEPM Air Quality CRG Briefing Paper #3 January

4 Roxburgh St, Stockton Min 1hr Average (pphm) Max 1hr Average (pphm) Average Goal NO pphm NO N/A NOx N/A Location Pollutant December 2011 NEPM Air Quality Min 1hr Average (pphm) Max 1hr Average (pphm) Average Goal Roxburgh St, Stockton NO pphm NO N/A NOx ,8 N/A pphm = parts per hundred million (12pphm = 0.12ppm) A High Volume Air Sampler and a PM10 sampler are located at the Substation on Fullerton St, Stockton. The units operate for 24 hours every six days in accordance with the standards. Location Date TSP (ug/m 3 ) PM10 (ug/m 3 ) Nitrate (ug/m 3 ) Fullerton St, Stockton 4/11/ /11/ <0.1 16/11/ <0.1 22/11/ <0.1 28/11/ <0.1 4/12/ /12/ /12/ <0.1 22/12/ <0.1 28/12/ <0.1 Goal 50 Note: The EPL does not require PM10 and Nitrate monitoring, however this information is provided to Newcastle City Council. Temporary Ammonia and Nitrogen Dioxide Monitoring In December 2011, Orica installed temporary ammonia and nitrogen dioxide monitors at Stockton and Carrington. The results of these monitors are shown in the table below in the form of maximum one minute averages. Daily results are tabled on (refer to CRG Briefing Paper #3 January

NO 2 (ppm) Max 1min Average Stockton NH 3 (ppm) Max 1min Average NO 2 (ppm) Max 1min Average Carrington NH 3 (ppm) Max 1min Average December 2011 0.2 ND 0.3 1.

1ppm) ppm = parts per million Interim Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station Update The Orica KI Environmental Team is in the early stages of planning for a new air quality monitoring station (AQMS)

5 NO 2 (ppm) Max 1min Average Stockton NH 3 (ppm) Max 1min Average NO 2 (ppm) Max 1min Average Carrington NH 3 (ppm) Max 1min Average December ND ND = Not detected, the instrument read less than the instrument resolution (NH 3 : 1ppm, NO 2 : 0.1ppm) ppm = parts per million Interim Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station Update The Orica KI Environmental Team is in the early stages of planning for a new air quality monitoring station (AQMS) at Stockton. This station would be an interim station, put in place for up to two years while the EPA completes its investigations into the implementation the a broader Lower Hunter Air Quality Monitoring Network. Orica will review the operation of the interim AQMS following the EPA concluding its investigation and implementation program. Orica is currently investigating the installation of the interim station at a location suggested by the Stockton Community Action Group (SCAG) on the western side of Fullerton Street, across from Flint Street, as shown in the picture below. At this monitoring station, it is proposed to install a shelter such as the one shown in the image on the left, on a concrete slab, surrounded by a security fence. Within the compound, it is proposed to install two continuous particulate monitors (TEOM for PM10 and BAM for PM2.5) and a combined NOx, (NO, NO 2 ) and ammonia analyser. TEOM = Tapered Element Oscillating Membrane BAM = Beta Attenuation Monitor Orica notes CRG feedback that adjacent residents should be consulted before the location is confirmed. Planning is currently underway to: CRG Briefing Paper #3 January

6 consult with the local community on the location of the station and the monitoring undertaken; seek council approval to use the land; and seek development consent for the installation and operation of the station. 3. Noise Monitoring In late November 2011 temporary noise monitoring was installed in Stockton and on Kooragang Island to monitor noise levels while the plant was offline. Further monitoring was then conducted during start-up activities and operation. This monitoring ceased in mid January 2012 and the noise consultant will review the data. Further monitoring is also planned following the start-up of the Ammonia Plant. Results will be shared with the CRG in a future Briefing Paper. 4. Progress of Remediation Works Orica is currently undertaking Stage 4 of a Voluntary Management Proposal (VMP) with the EPA to address historical arsenic contamination of soil and groundwater. The latest round of monitoring to assess the performance of the field trial was undertaken during December 2011 and a preliminary report on the effectiveness of the trail is currently being prepared. 5. Environmental Improvements 5.1. Pollution Studies and Reduction Programs in EPL 828 a) PRP 21: Prill Tower Emissions Reduction Project Structural engineering review of the temporary Prill Tower Stack Testing Unit is underway and project hazard study reviews are currently being scheduled. b) PRP 22: Nitrates Drainage Update Project Planning is underway for the installation of the next stage of the drains project; the replacement of piping that carries low ph water. c) PRP 25: Investigation of Stockton High Volume Air Sampler A report on improvements that could be made to the High Volume Air Sampler location was submitted to the EPA in December d) THE NEXT STEP WILL BE PLANNED IN LIGHT OF THE INTERIM COMMUNITY AIR QUALITY MONITORING STATION.PRP 28: Automatic Stormwater Samplers Automatic samplers for the six stormwater drains have been purchased in the period since the last briefing paper to enable sampling of rain events outside of laboratory hours. e) PRP30: Bunding Review AN2 Reclaim: Work on the new AN2 Reclaim Tank Bund commenced in January, with the new tank expected onsite in February f) PRP 30: Low ph Groundwater Plume A Remedial Action Plan is currently being prepared to address low ph groundwater in the vicinity of No. 1 Nitric Acid Plant. CRG Briefing Paper #3 January

7 g) New PRP 32: General Improvements Program Pollution Reduction Program 32 has recently been included on the Environment Protection Licence and includes: Distributed Control System (DCS) alarm management and trip system adequacy. Procedure to assist operations personnel to recognise abnormal operations Replacement of the Nitrates DCS Review of No. 5 Ammonia Feed Tank venting systems 6. Community Engagement Activity Reported for December 2011 Activity During December 2011 Upcoming Community Information Sessions Newsletters 15 December community members attended the afternoon session and 12 community members attended the evening session. Meeting minutes and the updated Issues and Actions List will soon be on the Orica KI website. The last newsletter was distributed at the end of November Advertorials Newcastle Herald: 10 December, 22 December Newcastle Star: 14 December Site Tours Website Group Briefings Fact Sheets Stakeholder Relations Manager No community Site Tours were conducted during December Work continued on the web overhaul design and content Briefing held for Stockton Child Care Centre and the Stockton Centre. Completed and available on website: Emergency Response Fact Sheet Startup Fact Sheet. Commenced employment on 3 January Key responsibility to finalise & implement Community Relations Plan Next Community Information Session planned for Saturday 18 February. A new drop-in style format has been recommended by Kathy Jones and Associates (refer to letter from Kathy Jones to the CRG dated 24 Jan 2012). Next newsletter planned for distribution early February. Expansion of the distribution area will be tabled for discussion with the CRG at the January meeting. A minimum of four adverts will be placed across the Newcastle Herald and the Newcastle Star during weeks commencing 6 and 13 February in order to advertise the 18 February Information Session. Site Tours are to be scheduled monthly, commencing mid March. To be advertised in newsletters, press, and at the next Community Information Sessions. Launch anticipated in first quarter Wescott briefing is scheduled for 3 February. Stockton Public School is yet to be scheduled. Orica will also approach sensitive neighbours in Mayfield and Carrington to offer a similar briefing. Previously issued to the CRG: Orica s Environment Protection Licence Summary to be updated and figures added. To be drafted and put before the CRG for review: Introductory Fact Sheet Orica and the Community Orica and the Environment. CRG Briefing Paper #3 January

8 Activity During December 2011 Upcoming SMS and notification pre-start up Community Complaint and Enquiries Phone Number Five updates: 2 December Special notification of possible steam and noise at site 6 December Community Update # 3 7 December Special notification of weak ammonium nitrate spill contained on site 8 December Special notification of completion of investigation into weak ammonium nitrate solution 14 December Special notification of EPA s prevention notice lift. Responded to calls (refer to Section 2 of this Briefing Paper). At least one further update will be sent out to the community and uploaded to the Orica KI website throughout the start up process. Details of updates can be found on the Startup Fact sheet at oricaki.com.au and at: This will be moved into Stakeholder Relations Manager s office in February. CRG Briefing Paper #3 January

9 Attachment 1: Ambient Air Quality Summary Information a) NO 2, NO and NOx Air Quality Information i. Long Term CRG Briefing Paper #3 January

10 ii. November Monthly 14 NOx, NO2, NO 24 Hour Average for November 2011 NOx, NO, NO2 (pphm) NOx NO2 NO 14 NOx, NO2, NO Maximum 1 Hour Average for November 2011 NOx, NO, NO2 (pphm) NOx NO2 NO CRG Briefing Paper #3 January

11 14 NO2 Maximum 1 Hour Average for November 2011 NO2 (pphm) NO2 NEPM Air Quality Goal for NO2 December 14 NOx, NO2, NO 24 Hour Average for December 2011 NOx, NO, NO2 (pphm) NOx NO2 NO CRG Briefing Paper #3 January

12 14 NOx, NO2, NO Maximum 1 Hour Average for December NOx, NO, NO2 (pphm) NOx NO2 NO 14 NO2 Maximum 1 Hour Average for December NO2 (pphm) NO2 NEPM Air Quality Goal for NO2 CRG Briefing Paper #3 January

13 b) Total Suspended Particulates, PM10 and Nitrates CRG Briefing Paper #3 January

CRG Briefing Paper #

CRG Briefing Paper # Orica Kooragang Island Community Reference Group Monthly Briefing Paper #7 May 2012 1. Introduction This Briefing Paper focuses on activity and events during the month of April 2012 (with the exception