Salisbury–Moorooka odour investigation
The Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (the department) continues to investigate odour in and around the Salisbury–Moorooka area in response to community reports and concerns.
Odour emissions can result from a range of industrial, commercial and natural processes. The Salisbury–Moorooka area includes a mix of residential, commercial and industrial land uses. It also has complex topography which contributes to local wind variability and seasonal influences.
As Queensland’s environmental regulator, the department is responsible for investigating odour reports about the businesses and industries it regulates. As part of its ongoing compliance program, departmental officers regularly conduct inspections to ensure these regulated industries comply with the conditions of their environmental authority (sometimes called a licence or permit).
Industrial emissions from these regulated industries are lawful provided they don’t exceed strict environmental and health guidelines and don’t cause an unlawful environmental nuisance.
The department regulates several businesses in the Salisbury–Moorooka area, but only one to the north of Evans Road.
Oakmoore Pty Ltd, trading as EGR, holds an environmental authority that permits plastic product manufacturing and surface coating. This authority limits the amount of volatile organic compounds that can be released and does not allow odours or airborne contaminants to cause an unlawful environmental nuisance.
Monitoring activities
As a result of the weather station installations and odour monitoring over several years, the department has determined that odour can be associated with activities conducted by EGR under specific weather conditions.
The department officers recently determined that unlawful nuisance odour could be associated with the activities of a regulated operator in the area, and the department has commenced escalated compliance action to ensure the operator takes all reasonable and practical measures to comply with their environmental authority and the general environmental duty.
The department has reviewed air emission monitoring results from EGR and determined that its emissions comply with the conditions permitted by their environmental authority.
Over several years, the department has provided air sampling summa canisters to community members, allowing them to trigger an air sample collection at times when they consider odour to be a nuisance. The department’s officers have also used these summa canisters to collect air samples when they are conducting their surveillance and inspections in the area.
The results of this air sampling has detected compounds that would be expected in a developed urbanised and industrial area—but at levels of no concern. The results of all air quality monitoring have been reviewed by technical professionals including Queensland Health.
If you have any specific health concerns, talk to your medical practitioner as they know your specific medical history including any underlying medical conditions. Your treating medical practitioner can then contact the Metro South (Brisbane South) Public Health Unit on (07) 3156 4000 if they wish to discuss your specific situation.
How and when to report odour
Community reports play a vital role in helping the department respond to, and investigate, the source of the issue in a timely manner.
You are encouraged to report odour that you feel is impacting you as soon as possible using one of the options below:
- Online—submit an online odour nuisance report
- Phone—call 1300 130 372 (option 2)—24 hours a day, 7 days a week
When making an odour report, please provide the following information:
- your name and contact details so we can provide you with updates on the investigation
- date, time, location and frequency of the odour experienced
- the nature, smell or description of odour
- the environmental conditions at the time—such as wind, temperature and time
- details of how the odour is impacting you.
To help you record this information, you can fill out an odour log sheet and email to pollutionhotline@des.qld.gov.au when completed.