What will be the impact of the discharged effluent from the mill in Bass Strait?
The Australia Government and the state government are responsible for different areas of the marine environment. The state government has primary responsibility for the marine environment up to three nautical miles from the low water mark on the shoreline, while the Australian Government manages the ocean from the state limit to the edge the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone, some 200 nautical miles out to sea. To ensure the Commonwealth marine environment is protected, the federal conditions of approval set very strict limits on the allowable levels of contaminants that can be released by the mill. The approval conditions require that Gunns must develop strategies to monitor the impacts of the mill effluent on the marine environment as well as implement agreed response measures if any adverse impacts are detected. This monitoring plan must cover issues such as the quantity and quality of the effluent as well as impacts on the marine environment including the quality of the water, sed
