Midway Plantations Kilmore East Summary May 2015

Background here

This page highlights erosion problems with plantations owned by Midway Plantations near Kilmore East. Tens of thousands of tonnes of sediment ran off this plantation and filled a large farm dam immediately downstream of the plantation. A botched clean up of the farm dam then occurred. Aerial spraying of the plantation in April 2010 also saw the herbicide Simazine detected in the farm dam in August 2010 at 20 parts per billion. Levels were likely to be much higher immediately preceding the testing. Simazine (and Atrazine) were still detected 3 years later.

The dam was polluted in 2009, with Midway Plantations commencing clean up in 2015.

2009 Windrows running downhill. Note log truck and dust in centre of the shot.

Jan 2015 Downstream farm dam with tens of thousands of tonnes of sediment that washed off the plantation and was deposited in the farm dam. Under an EPA Clean Up Notice, Midway were ordered to remove the sediment that had been deposited in the dam. They pulled out however, with tens of thousands of tonnes of sediment remaining. Midway were also reluctant to even start work on the Clean Up Notice, where works eventually started over 5 years after the initial clearfelling.

The dam was pumped dry in December 2014, to allow for the sediment cleanup to begin. The water pumped out in December was not the pollutant according to EPA – they just let it downstream. The water pumping was to facilitate Midway’s accessing the pollutant. And then only the sediment pollutant - they never cleaned up the chemical.

Midway intend to clearfell again on the site, which has been replanted with bluegums, in about 5 years time. Will history then repeat itself?

32,500 tonnes of sediment were removed from the dam by 2,499 truckloads. At least the same again needs to be removed. Twice that has gone downstream into public water - Sunday Creek.

Jan 15 Works attempting to remove tens of thousands of tonnes of sediment deposited on farm dam. Midway went through 2010 with test results showing that they were polluting off-site and the neighbouring dam with simazine. In 2011 they were told that they needed to remediate. In 2012 they were shown they had broken laws in mediation process. In 2013 Midway were given an EPA clean up notice (1) in February in a draft form following EPA previous meetings telling them they were being served notice (2) May 2013 (3) in October 2013 (4) in July 2014 following EPA Enforcement Unit deliberations a Formal Warning (5) in February 2015. Five notices to remove sediment and thousands of tonnes remains in the dam.

Jan 15 Works attempting to remove tens of thousands of tonnes of sediment deposited on farm dam.

Jan 15: Days into the clean up process Midway ran out of bund and deployed machinery back to the plantation to knock down more trees to make more bunding – subsequently they ran out of room in their dump site and then proceeded to dispose the pollutant on the plantations firebreaks (see below). This is in breach of EPA’s instructions and Midway's own procedures for the disposal.

2015: Dumping sediment on Firebreaks surrounding plantation.

2009 Windrows running in wrong direction, increasing runoff

24 hour logging occurred post 2009 bushfires that ravaged the area.

Logging on side of public road, noise issues.

Logs washed into tributary of Sunday Creek.

Midway Plantations fenceline on public land.

2009: Pine Creek buried in slash

2009 September: Ash, sediment and simazine draining from the plantation.

2009 Burning off and blade scrape

2009 Burning off tops of hills

Creek leaving Midway Property. This is a public creek system which Midway are allowed to pollute.

Creek water quality at a plantation creek crossing

November 2010, Sediment and simazine washing off property. This is a public creek system which Midway are allowed to pollute.

October 2011, logging debris washing down creek lines.

November 2011, , Sediment and simazine washing off property

July 2012, , Sediment and simazine washing off property

July 2012, Sediment and simazine washing off property

July 2012. This is a public creek system which Midway are allowed to pollute.

March 2013. This is a public creek system which Midway are allowed to pollute.

March 2013

June 2013. This is a public creek system which Midway are allowed to pollute.

June 2013

July 2013

June 2014. This is a public creek system which Midway are allowed to pollute.

2013 Creek Crossing

2013 September

2014: Bank erosion not rehabilitated after the fires, or after logging or after replanting the plantations. Midway Plantations have not repaired this area in their EPA requirement.

2014 creek crossing: Midway supposed compliance with EPA pollution abatement undertaking

Track collapse into Creek

Nov 2014 Creek leaving Midway Property

Dec 2014/Jan15 Sediment layer showing clear ash line, representing deposition from 2009 fires. 25,000 tonnes of sediment had to be removed from the downstream farm dam by Midway under a clean up notice from the EPA. It is estimated that an equivalent amount remains.

Jan 15 Works attempting to remove tens of thousands of tonnes of sediment deposited on farm dam. This clean up probably cost Midway millions of dollars, but its only half completed.

Jan 15 Works attempting to remove tens of thousands of tonnes of sediment deposited on farm dam.

Jan 15 Works attempting to remove tens of thousands of tonnes of sediment deposited on farm dam.

2015 Erosion Control. Photo taken after Midway had completed their erosion control EPA orders –the land is riddled with mounds of erodible soils washing in to water courses and because there are no traps or holding ponds, continue to discharge into the public creek system

2015 Outside Midway fenceline