Marino dust study

Consultation has concluded. The EPA continues to support the Department for Energy and Mining in its regulation of Boral on activities within the EPA licence.

• Community working group meeting, 23 May 2022

  

  The latest Marino Dust Study community working group meeting, held at Marino Rocks Cafe on 23 May was attended by a number of community members, as well as staff from EPA, SA Health, Department for Energy and Mining, South Australia and Boral.
  
  The EPA’s lead air quality scientist Dr Pushan Shah presented the latest air quality monitoring results from the dust study.
  
  Following the presentation EPA, SA Health, DEM and Boral staff participated in a Q&A session answering community members questions on a range of subjects including; how the data is interpreted, monitoring equipment capabilities, health impacts, current mitigation and management actions undertaken by Boral, recent legislative changes by DEM and compliance management by the EPA.

  The EPA is working with the lead regulator, the Department for Energy & Mining, to review Linwood’s current dust control strategy against their approvals for the site. This review will also identify possible improvements that Boral can make to better manage dust from the site.

• Air quality monitoring data - streaming live

  

  From 6 September to 9 September 2021, the EPA installed 3 community based dust monitors and anemometers (which monitor the wind and speed direction) in the backyards of volunteers. The sites were chosen by residents from the community working group and the EPA. The monitors will determine whether the general dust in the area is of small enough particles to be a health concern, and SA Health is partnering with the community for this study to interpret the data.

  The sites are in: Perry Barr Road, Spinks Road and Clubhouse Road.

  Live air quality data is now available from this website (please see the link at the top of the home page).

  You can register for an online training session on how to interpret the data.

  
  

• Update after state-wide COVID-19 restrictions

  

  We appreciate your patience whilst the dust study was temporarily placed on hold due to state-wide Covid-19 restrictions. Now that South Australia has relaxed some of these restrictions, we are pleased to advise that we have rescheduled site visits to the remaining 5 homes whose residents have kindly volunteered to host a dust monitor. Once we determine the suitability of these locations, we will install monitors and begin streaming data in real-time.

  Next steps

  In the coming weeks the EPA will invite you to take part in an online air quality data support session. This session will be designed to help you interpret the data that will be streamed live from the dust monitors. It will enable you to understand what the real-live data means and how this relates to what you are experiencing at your home.

  The next community working group meeting is planned for November 2021, for residents who joined the community working group in May. We will work through the results from the first quarter and answer any queries you may have regarding the results to date. We hope to host this in-person with regard to ensuring residents safety in regard to any social distancing restrictions. For those of you that are not part of the working group, or if it's not possible to host the session in person, we will publish all of our information to this webpage.

  If you have any questions, please contact us on: engage.epa@sa.gov.au or ph: (08) 8124 4216 during business hours.

• Volunteer dust monitor hosts - one more needed

  

  Thank you so much to the 10 people who have volunteered to host a dust monitor. After visiting all of these locations to determine their suitability, we now have two locations confirmed.

  We are still seeking one final volunteer to host a dust monitor in areas 1, 2 or 3 on the Marino Dust Study map, and are writing again to residents in these areas. Four dust monitors are expected to be in place for around 12 months. Dust monitors require access to a residential power supply and the EPA will reimburse associated electricity costs.

  The EPA will need to access the monitor at regular intervals throughout the 12 months, and will negotiate mutually convenient times with residents who are assisting.

  If you have an area in your backyard which can’t be accessed by pets or young children, and you are willing to host a dust monitor, please contact: Rachel Colella, Principal Adviser Community Engagement on rachel.colella@sa.gov.au ph: (08) 8124 4216

  

• Community working group meeting, 24 May 2021

  

  Thank you so much to the wonderful residents that applied to participate in the community working group, joining us on Monday 24 May 2021 for our first meeting at the Marino Rocks Cafe.

  In attendance were 14 members of the community, staff from the EPA, SA Health and Boral. The Member for Black and Minister for Environment and Water, the Hon David Speirs MP, also attended and commended the community for working collaboratively with the EPA to achieve better outcomes for the environment.

  A copy of the presentation is available in the Document Library on this site. The Terms of Reference for the group was updated on the night and this has also been captured in the presentation.

  Our next steps are to visit the homes of the residents who have kindly volunteered to host one of three community-based dust monitors, to determine the most ideal locations for the 12 month installation. We look forward to providing an update on this soon.

  In the meantime, if you have any questions please:

  Phone: (08) 8124 4216

  Email: engage.epa@sa.gov.au

  
  

• Aims of the dust study

  

  The aims of the Marino dust study are as follows:

  • To work with the community to implement a 12 month dust study, by collaboration in determining the location of the dust monitors
  • To obtain evidence about potential directions and sources of dust
  • To collaborate with SA Health as part of the process, and to seek input into determining the potential human health risk on the findings of the data obtained during the timeframe
  • Community input will also assist the EPA to determine the most effective locations for the monitors to be placed (for up to 12 months).

  Quarterly community working group meetings will be held and community updates and copies of presentations will be provided by email and on the Engage EPA website, or by post for people who register to receive information in this way.

• We need your help!

  

  The success of the dust study will be determined largely by community involvement. There are two ways you can participate:

  Join the community working group

  If you would like to work with the EPA to determine the location of dust monitors, participate in quarterly meetings to discuss the data, and speak in person with staff from the EPA and SA Health, please contact us to register your interest in joining the community working group. We will arrange meeting times and a local venue that are mutually convenient with the residents who indicate their interest in participating.

  Keep a dust diary or make an online dust report

  The EPA has an online dust reporting tool available at www.engage.epa.sa.gov.au/Marino. Paper copies of a dust diary can also be used. To make a report, record everything that you can remember about the event including the date and time, your exact location, and other observations such as weather conditions. Where possible, photographic and video evidence are valuable especially from different angles. The EPA can use this information in conjunction with the data provided by the dust monitors. It can assist us to determine the best times and conditions for our Authorised Officers to undertake site visits.

  What is a dust report?

  A dust report involves providing details of a specific incident. For example, if a plume of dust is seen leaving an uncovered truck, you can report this incident with the time and date of the occurrence.

  What is not a dust report?

  General comments on dust at your property.