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Monday, October 30, 2023
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SOLAR FARM NEAR COMPLETE
Minister for the SEC Lily D’Ambrosio toured the Glenrowan Solar Farm that has 220,000 of the 300,000 panels in place. Work is expected to be completed by the end of the year. She is pictured with UGL construction manager Patrick McInerney (left), managing director of Pacific Partnerships Simon Nicholls, and SEC interim chief executive officer Chris Miller. PHOTO: Kurt Hickling ■ See story page 2
ODOUR DRIFT GUILT
TWO Wangaratta locals have told of the impact a Wangaratta sausage casing factory had on their day-today lives, after the Shanley Street business dispelled persistent offensive smells throughout the city late last year. Van Hessen Australia Pty Ltd on Friday pleaded guilty to Environment Protection Authority (EPA) charges the company had failed to ensure odours from its wastewater treatment plant were not released beyond the
LLocals l tellll off h hardships d hip d due to Sh Shanley l yS St sausage g casing i g ffactoryy b breach h
boundaries of the premises. Wangaratta Magistrates Court heard on Friday that some 136 pollution reports had been lodged to the EPA by community members between October and December last year. EPA officers attended the site and recorded strong odours on five separate occasions from late-December, reporting a strong smell of Hydrogen Sulfide, likened to the
smell of ‘rotting’. A September assessment of the site’s wastewater treatment practice, which utilised both an aerobic and an anaerobic lagoon, had recommended a full review of the business’ wastewater practice. The court heard odours in the area had been so strong the nearby CFA training facility had been forcibly closed, after staff reported suffering nausea and
headaches while at work. One nearby resident who filed a victim impact statement with the EPA said the “invasiveness” of the smell had placed considerable restraints on his life, by limiting his exercise, preventing him from working in the garden, and placed considerable stress on his plan to host family Christmas. He said he and his wife had discussed selling the
WANGARATTA BEARINGS AND INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES
family home. A CFA training ground staffer said the complex’s closure meant he had been required to drive five hours a day to another training ground to be able to continue working. While defence counsel Andrew Imrie acknowledged the 136 pollution reports filed, he said a number were likely filed outside of the EPA’s official timeline, which charged the company
with offending between November 29 and December 23. He said the extent of the odour linked to Van Hessen should be approached with caution by Magistrate Lance Martin, noting flooding, issues with North East Water’s sewerage pumping, and the factory’s proximity to the Wangaratta Stockyards could have contributed to the odour. ■ Continued page 2
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