EPA snap inspection catches out Otways farms

MORE than a dozen dairy farms in the Otways have been caught out for breaching standards following a series of snap inspections by EPA Victoria.

Earlier today (Monday, January 15), EPA announced the results of its unannounced inspections in the Curdles River Catchment, and expressed concerns that farms in the area were allowing their pollution control standards to slip.

This is the second consecutive year of snap EPA inspections on dairy farms in the region as part of EPA’s commitment to the Curdies River Co-ordinating Committee (CRCC, formerly the Curdies River Consultative Committee).

Led by the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority, the CRCC comprises government agencies, industry representatives and community members committed to improving the health of waterways in the catchment

It was formed last year following several instances of blue-green algae blooms in the Curles River.

“In 2022 we inspected farms in the lower catchment area. We were pleased with the inspection results, finding only two out of 25 farms to be non-compliant,” EPA south-western regional manager Tanya McAteer said.

“In November 2023, we inspected farms in the upper catchment area. The results were not as positive.

“Our officers issued a total of 16 legally enforceable notices to 14 farms to ensure risks on farms are adequately managed.

“The main issues we identified were effluent pond management and chemical storage.

“Improperly controlled effluent or chemicals stored without proper containment puts the surrounding environment and waterways at risk.”

EPA officers also observed many duty holders had not registered their waste tyres.

“Waste tyres must be stored in a way that minimizes risk of fires,” Ms McAteer said.

“That’s why EPA requires you to register your tyres if you have more than 5sqm on site.

“We gave a lot of formal compliance advice. This means those who are operating farms have a greater state of knowledge of the risks they need to manage.

“It’s everyone’s business to protect the environment, so alongside our inspections, we ran a series of community engagement activities to build community and industry awareness of environmental laws and acknowledge the proactive work being done by the CRCC.

“We’ll be returning to the properties over the next few months to check progress is being made on those notices.”

For more information about how to manage effluent on dairy farms, head to epa.vic.gov.au/for-business/find-a-topic/effluent-dairy-farm