Orica cleared of Gladstone Harbour leak

No traces of cyanide have been found in water samples taken from Gladstone Harbour following a breach by a chemical company, the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) says. DERM is investigating Orica Australia after it admitted releasing waste water with double the allowed level of cyanide into the central Queensland harbour.

"Cyanide was not detected in water quality samples taken near the Orica discharge point on Friday," DERM Director-General Jim Reeves said in a statement late on Tuesday.

The detectable limit for cyanide is 0.004 milligrams per litre, and high levels of the chemical can cause fish kills. Orica is licensed to discharge wastewater containing 1 milligram per litre of cyanide via a trade waste facility, but the company has advised DERM a number of discharges, with twice that amount, have occurred since January, so the department issued Orica with an Environmental Protection Order last Thursday night requiring it to gain approval for all wastewater releases.

"Officers are on site at Orica to monitor and ensure compliance prior to approving any discharge from the Orica cyanide plant," Reeves said. DERM will release more test results later in the week and will continue to monitor the water quality, he added.

Companies convicted of wilful serious environmental harm can face fines of up to $2 million and company directors face five years' prison.

The state government has been criticised for its management of dredging in Gladstone Harbour, which local fishermen and environmentalists blame for an illness affecting local marine life, but DERM has found no evidence so far to support human causes of fish illness.

Source: AAP NewsWire