Tassal gains EPA approval for its $46 million hatchery project

The Environment Protection Authority has finished its assessment of Tassal’s plan to build a new $46 million fish hatchery in Tasmania.

TASMANIA’S environmental watchdog has given Tassal’s Central Highlands hatchery proposal the green light.

The salmon producer says the $46 million hatchery will allow it to grow larger smolt which need less time at sea to reach harvest size.

The hatchery, about 6km from Hamilton on Woodmoor Rd, will use fresh water from Meadowbank Lake.

Used water will be treated onsite before going into a dam to be used as irrigation on a neighbouring property.

Fish waste will be treated to become compost.

A Tassal spokesman said the hatchery would use recirculation technology, with no water returned to the river and a small amount to irrigation.

The Environment Protection Authority said the hatchery, which will be capable of producing smolt up to 600g, will produce up to 1400 tonne of fish each year.

EPA Board Chair Warren Jones said the proposed development could be managed in an environmentally sustainable and acceptable manner — provided conditions relating to the management and monitoring of odour, noise, waste and irrigation of wastewater are complied with.

Eighty-five submissions were received during the public consultation period and they raised concerns about water quality, noise and odour.

Mr Jones said that while odour emissions from the hatchery and reuse scheme satisfied environmental assessment criteria, ongoing sampling and modelling would be required to ensure that seasonal variation and wastewater irrigation did not increase the odour risk.

“Night time noise limits will be met through the appropriate selection of equipment and mitigation options, but a review of these will be required before commencement of construction to ensure the risk of nuisance noise remains low,” Mr Jones said.

“Noise will also be managed by acoustic barriers such as topographic screening and building design, together with management protocols for heavy vehicle operation to ensure noise limits are not compromised.

“The Irrigation Environmental Management Plan (IEMP) indicates that effluent will meet the quality requirements for irrigation reuse, however a supplier-user agreement is required to cover the areas proposed to be irrigated.”

The proposal still needs to be approved by the Central Highlands Council.