Qld Environment department hits Gympie council with dump breach

The Gympie council is under orders to fix the city’s ageing dump after Qld govt investigators found several environmental breaches at the site, including in its newly built $4m dollar eastern expansion.

The Gympie council (CEO Rovert Jennings pictured) is under orders to fix the city’s ageing dump after Qld govt investigators found several environmental breaches at the site, including in its newly built $4 million dollar eastern expansion.

The Gympie council is under orders to clean up parts of the ageing Bonnick Rd dump after several environmental breaches were found, including the risk of contaminated water running off the site.

The Queensland Environment department placed the council under an Environmental Enforcement Order over the breaches, which it said were found following a series of “proactive” inspections ahead of the 2024 storm season.

Inspectors found several “noncompliances” at the dump including surface water management infrastructure in “poor condition”, and a stockpile of soil, natural rock, and concrete only 8m-10m from a watercourse “without adequate erosion or sediment controls” in place, the published order says.

They further found the main retention device for stormwater run-off was “not able to retain water” or the correct size, and run-off “is likely being released in locations other than proscribed … and potentially releasing contaminated water off site”.

The Gympie council (chief executive Robert Jennings pictured) is under orders to fix the city’s ageing dump after Qld govt investigators found several environmental breaches at the site, including in its newly built $4 million dollar eastern expansion.

The council’s management plan for dump run-off was not up to scratch either.

The order says the plan was last reviewed in 2017 and “does not include” management of the newly built eastern cell expansion.

This $4m expansion was opened to help extend the lifespan of the Bonnick Rd dump amid ongoing debate on where the region’s waste would be disposed of in the future.

Even with the expansion the dump was expected to be full by the end of the decade at the latest.

The order says the management plan is supposed to be reviewed every two years “at least” but “to the department’s knowledge (Gympie council’s) has only been reviewed once in the past 10 years”.

A follow up inspection in December 2024 found some of the required work was finished but several other parts were still incomplete, the order says.

Inspectors also found finished eastern cell “had not included the necessary stormwater infrastructure works required” and “potentially significant remedial works are required to secure compliance with these conditions”.

Inspectors also found the finished eastern cell “had not included the necessary stormwater infrastructure works required” and “potentially significant remedial works are required to secure compliance with these conditions”.

It ordered the council to provide a bimonthly written update to the department on its efforts to fix these problems, and fully implemented the plan by June 30, 2027.

Gympie council chief executive Robert Jennings said Monday all of the order’s deadlines had been met so far.

Mr Jennings said to date costs had been minimal, but the organisation “is still in the early stages of finalising designs for the remaining works under the EEO, so a total cost estimate has not yet been determined”.

“(The) council was aware the EEO would be issued and has taken the appropriate steps to ensure all regulatory obligations and deadlines are being met,” Mr Jennings said.

“The final capping and closure of the western cell — now at capacity and closed to the public — is still required and is scheduled to begin in the 2025/26 financial year.

“Bringing forward site capping and rehabilitation will not only support compliance but also help prevent future environmental issues.”