The NSW Environment Protection Authority has fined Townes Contracting Group $15,000 for allegedly operating a quarry without the required Environment Protection Licence.
The company operates a quarry on Woodford Island near Maclean on the NSW North Coast.
EPA Regional Director North Adam Gilligan said quarries that extract, process or store more than 30,000 tonnes of material a year are required to hold a licence to ensure that potential environmental impacts are minimised and managed.
“Operators must carefully monitor the volume of material they are producing and ensure they have a licence, if required,” Mr Gilligan said.
“Large scale extraction activities have the potential to impact on water quality if sediment laden run-off leaves the site. Dust and noise can also be an issue if not managed properly.
“While there was no environmental impact detected from the company’s activities on this occasion, it is vital that an Environment Protection Licence is in place, where required, to prevent pollution.
“The EPA alleges that Townes Contracting Group had extracted almost one hundred thousand tonnes (99,803) of material between August 2018 and May 2019,” Mr Gilligan said.
Penalty notices are one of a number of tools the EPA can use to achieve environmental compliance including formal warnings, official cautions, licence conditions, notices and directions and prosecutions. In this instance the EPA issued a penalty notice. The notice recipient may pay the penalty notice, seek a review, or elect to have the matter determined by a court.
