Hancock Watch

May 2013

New EPA Report Released April 29 2013.

Impacts of Intensive Agriculture and Plantation Forestry on Water Quality In Latrobe Catchment, Victoria April 29 2013

Gippsland Environment Suffering From Pesticide Spray Drift? May 10 2013

Pesticides commonly used in vegetable cropping have been detected in waterways 25-30km away from the nearest vegetable cropping areas according to environmental organisation Friends of the Earth.

EPA pesticide testing, released in a report last week, in the forested portion of Middle Creek, located in the northern Strzeleckis, detected the pesticides Diazinon, Metalochlor, Pirimicarb, Metalaxyl, Tebuconazole, Oxychlordane and Simazine in surface water and sediment of Middle Creek. The results were published by the EPA in “Impacts of intensive agriculture and plantation forestry on water quality in the Latrobe catchment, Victoria”. http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/~/media/Publications/1528.pdf

Of these pesticides, the only one used in forestry operations in the upper catchment over the past decade is Simazine. “Forestry is the only land use within this section of Middle Creek, so the only conclusion that we can make is that the other pesticides have ended up in Middle Creek as a result of spray drift, where pesticide particles have blown in on the wind. This raises a significant question: if the pesticides have been blown over such a distance, what other waterways have suffered a similar problem? Can we conclude that most other waterways (including domestic water supplies) in Gippsland could also be carrying traces of these pesticides?” asked Friends of the Earth spokesperson Anthony Amis.

“Middle Creek contained levels of simazine which are of concern. Simazine was also detected in sediment at two locations within the forested portion of the catchment. Seeing that simazine use was supposedly stopped in the catchment in 2003, it is quite worrying that the substance was detected 9 years after being sprayed. Simazine may have polluted local groundwater where its degradation has been slowed or it is being released from polluted sediment loads and re-released into the water column possibly in times of heavy flow. How many other Strzelecki waterways are suffering similar problems?” Mr Amis said.

Oxychlordane, a metabolite of the organochlorine Chlordane was also detected in the sediments of Middle Creek, as was Mercury. “We think that oxychlordane may have been washed into the creek via treated Eucalyptus seed in the 1970's and early 1980's. We understand that this practice was done elsewhere in Victoria to stop ants taking the seed. The Mercury is likely to be sourced from either bushfires or the burning of coal.” Mr Amis added. “If it's from coal emissions, what measures are the coal industry taking to minimise the impact of mercury on local water waterways? Mercury can in some circumstances bioaccumulate through the food chain”.

“It is illegal to cause spray drift impacting on neighbouring properties, yet where are the regulators when the spray drift isn't so easily identifiable and revealed only through water testing? How far has the drift extended and why has the drift been allowed to occur?” Mr Amis concluded.

Map of Middle Creek, showing approximately locations of EPA sampling points. All are downstream of Hancock plantations/reforestation. Much of Middle Creek has been converted into Shining Gum over the past decade.

Is Hancock Planting Toxic Shining Gum In The Strzeleckis? Check Out The Tasmanian Situation Here

Hancock Knocks Out a dozen trees in their Leongatha plantation, in order to widen an existing logging track.

May 12 2013: Strzelecki Ranges/Tarwin River West Branch. Leongatha Plantation: Hancock lost ~30ha of pine in the March 27 Hallston fires.

May 12 2013: Strzelecki Ranges/Tarwin River West Branch. Leongatha Plantation: In order to salvage log the pine, upgrades to the logging tracks were made.

May 12 2013: Strzelecki Ranges/Tarwin River West Branch. Leongatha Plantation: A number of old growth trees were burnt in the northern section of the plantation. They would most likely survive such a fire event.

May 12 2013: Strzelecki Ranges/Tarwin River West Branch. Leongatha Plantation: Whether they survive the fire is moot point, because they were bulldozed over instread.

May 12 2013: Strzelecki Ranges/Tarwin River West Branch. Leongatha Plantation: Several old trees were located in close proximity to logging tracks.

May 12 2013: Strzelecki Ranges/Tarwin River West Branch. Leongatha Plantation: Others were located a distance from the logging track.

May 12 2013: Strzelecki Ranges/Tarwin River West Branch. Leongatha Plantation: Some of the trees would have been over 200 years old.

May 12 2013: Strzelecki Ranges/Tarwin River West Branch. Leongatha Plantation: Note hollow on this bulldozed tree. Hollows in eucalypts can take up to 120 years to form.

May 12 2013: Strzelecki Ranges/Tarwin River West Branch. Leongatha Plantation: Another dead old growth tree.

May 12 2013: Strzelecki Ranges/Tarwin River West Branch. Leongatha Plantation: Too close to the expanded logging road?

May 12 2013: Strzelecki Ranges/Tarwin River West Branch. Leongatha Plantation: This one was 50m away from the logging road.

May 12 2013: Strzelecki Ranges/Bawden Creek Catchment. Allotments 14, 15, 16 and 38 Parish of Allambee, ex APM Pine have recently been clearfelled, to be replanted with the potentially toxic E. Nitens.

May 12 2013: Strzelecki Ranges/Bawden Creek Catchment. Allotment 38 Parish of Allambee. Burning log piles covering the valley with smoke.

May 2013 Strzelecki Ranges/Traralgon Creek Catchment: Post February 2009 fire regeneration.

May 2013 Strzelecki Ranges/Traralgon Creek Catchment: Note small size of logs.

May 2013 Strzelecki Ranges/Traralgon Creek Catchment:

May 2013 Strzelecki Ranges/Middle Creek Catchment: Roading outside recently logged pine plantation. What happens here when it next rains?

May 2013: Strzelecki Ranges/Middle Creek Catchment: View from a window. Logging in very close proximity.

May 2013 Strzelecki Ranges/Agnes River Catchment: Continued clearfelling in areas set supposedly aside in 2006 Heads of Agreement.

May 2013 Strzelecki Ranges/Agnes River Catchment: Logging inside Cores and Links Rainforest Reserve.

May 2013 Strzelecki Ranges/Agnes River Catchment: Logging inside Cores and Links Rainforest Reserve and retained old growth tree.

May 2013 Strzelecki Ranges/Morwell River Catchment: Good regeneration at Craig Court, 7 years post logging.

May 2013 Strzelecki Ranges/Morwell River Catchment: 7 year old regeneration inside Cores and Links Rainforest Reserve.

May 2013: Strzelecki Ranges/Morwell River Catchment. Hatchery Road. Is this hardwood reforestation being logged or is it native forest?

May 2013: Strzelecki Ranges/Morwell River Catchment. Recent logging near Grand Ridge Road/Hatchery Road.

May 2013: Strzelecki Ranges/Mt Mabel. Recent replanting in Cores and Links Rainforest Reserve.

May 2013: Strzelecki Ranges/Traralgon Creek Catchment. 15 hectares of native forest was recently burnt near Taylors Road. The fire was started by lightning and represent the first bushfires in the Strzeleckis since the disatrous February 2009 fires.

May 2013: Strzelecki Ranges/Traralgon Creek Catchment. Some of the recently burnt area.

May 2013: Strzelecki Ranges/Traralgon Creek Catchment. Looking over the headwaters of Traralgon Creek, four years after February 2009 fires.