Waste
Site Based Management Plans have been prepared for each of the landfill/transfer station facilities for Stoters Hill, Goondi Bend and Bells Creek. These incorporate a stormwater management plan, leachate management plan, landfill gas management plan, groundwater management plan, site development plan and closure and post closure plan. The IEMS also requires quarterly monitoring to be undertaken at these existing and former landfill/transfer station sites.
Stoters Landfill and Transfer Station
Stoters Hill Landfill is now the Johnstone Shire's only operating waste disposal facility for inert and selected dry wastes. The site also accommodates a waste transfer facility for all wastes including some permitted regulated wastes.. The facility will be tightly controlled, with full-time supervision during operating hours. Monitoring is now completed on a minimum of a quarterly basis. In some circumstances the water quality at these locations had already exceeded the license limits due to conditions above the transfer station and landfill. At times the water quality actually improved as it passed the site.
Non compliance issues in 2000 include:
• In December 2000 the level of lead in the groundwater tipped the limit by just 0.001mg/l.
• In December 2000 the level of lead in the surface waters were elevated, but still 10 times below the recommended levels for fresh water systems as listed in the Australian Water Quality Guidelines 1992.
Bells Creek Landfill and Transfer Station
Bells Creek Landfill and Transfer Station is a small facility which services the southern areas of the Shire. It currently accepts domestic and certain regulated wastes and is a holding point for greenwaste. The landfill was closed in May 1999.
The levels of chemical oxygen demand were of concern in August 2000 when they rose from 1mg per litre in the previous sampling to 57mg/l in August. It was thought that the high levels were due to poorly biodegradable compounds in the water such as tannins and lignins
Goondi Bend Waste Disposal Facility
Goondi Bend Landfill has been Johnstone Shire's main waste disposal facility for domestic and certain regulated wastes in recent times. The landfill which is located adjacent to the Bruce Highway on the northern approach into the Town, is situated in close proximity to residential, commercial and light industrial land use, and has been closed to the general public following the opening of the Stoters Hill facility in June 1999.
Incidents of non-compliance in 2000 included:
• Surface waters have exceeded licence limits in iron and ammonia. The levels of iron appear to be very cyclic at this stage with high peaks during the dry season each year. The high levels are near where car bodies and drums were located at the landfill, and iron flocs can be seen in the water. There has been no evidence of organochlorine or organophosphate contamination of waters. The level of contamination is associated with the high levels of ammonia, as nitrogen, which is a major product of landfills and can be an indicator of leachate.
Site Improvements for Environmental Compliance identified in 2000 include:
• Capping of stage 2 - completed at a cost of $225 000
• Inert fill is being deposited at stage 3 to try and obtain the final shape for the facility.
• Quotes have been received for constructing groundwater monitoring bores
Landfill Remediation Assessment Program
Johnstone Shire Council identified seven former waste management sites for assessment under the Landfill Remediation Assessment Program: Muff Creek, Stage 1 and 2 Goondi Bend, Mourilyan, Kurrimine Beach, Downing Street, Flying Fish Point, and Cowley Beach. Investigation work to date has cost about $90 000 with a 50% subsidy recovered from the state government.
The program has recommended different actions at each site but overall includes:
• Removal of exposed waste
• Ongoing groundwater monitoring.
• Improve drainage of site to reduce water infiltration.
• Capping of the landfill.
• Installation of groundwater bores.
• Gas monitoring program and installation of gas collection and passive venting system.
Roads and Drainage
As at year 2000, there are approximately 212 kilometres of unsealed roads in the Shire and approximately 282 kilometres of sealed roads. Road maintenance expenditure by Council on unsealed roads in 99/00 was $1,052,000, equating to approximately $5,000/km, in comparison to the $537,000 spent on maintaining sealed roads at almost $1,900/km. However, the construction of new roads was costed at an average of $250,000 /km in December 2000.
In 99/00, the amount of new sealed roadway was 3km. Few people residing on unsealed roads have to travel more than 5km before reaching a sealed road.
The maintenance of state controlled roads was handed back to the Main Roads Department in 2000. Council is now only responsible for maintaining Shire roads. On high use roads major pothole repairs are normally undertaken within 3 days, and within 14 days for minor roads. Currently, for small area repairs cold mixed asphalt is the repair material used, whilst for large areas hot mixed asphalt is used. Pothole repairs undertaken are very successful except for repairs undertaken on high use roads in very wet conditions.
Council has adopted a ten-year rolling resealing program for the 1,600,000 square metres of sealed surfacing in the Shire, so that on average 160,000 square metres of resurfacing is undertaken each year at a present cost of around $400,000.
Council has recently constructed bikelanes at Bay Road (Flying Fish Point) and Laurie Street (Innisfail). As part of the development of Council's Shire Planning Scheme, a bikeway strategy was developed through community consultation, which includes consideration of bikeway linkages between the Shire's urban communities. No work has started on these linkages.
Several locations where urban stormwater is discharged from the council drainage system are not protected by registered drainage easements between this point and a lawful point of discharge.
There is little data on the effects of flooding on urban or rural lands. A study on the Johnstone River Floodplain will be completed in June 2001. Similarly, there is no data on the beneficial effects of flooding on rural land.
It is estimated that 10 tonnes of litter are collected from roadsides each year, although this rubbish does not normally influence the performance of major drain lines. Drainage in the Shire is under pressure possibly from major natural wetlands that may have been altered due to alteration of natural drainage paths in the past. In 1999/2000, $351,000 was spent maintaining roadside drainage. Excepting those major flood related incidents, there are few properties or services in the Shire where access can not be made because of poor drainage.
