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'They should be concerned': Port Augusta residents warned of ash

Tuesday, 3 Jan 2017 09:34:47

Heavy rainfall has affected the suppressant used on the ash dams. (ABC News)

Port Augusta residents affected by ash being blown across the regional city from its former coal-fired power station have a reason to be worried about their health, the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) says.

Alinta Energy closed its power station in Port Augusta in May last year and, although ash has blown from the site since then, it has worsened over the past few days because heavy rainfall has damaged the suppressant used on the ash dams.

Residents said they were worried about their health and are considering using dust masks.

Peter Dolan from the EPA said residents had a good reason to be concerned.

"They should be concerned because dust can harm you if it's fine and you breathe it in," he said.

"Our testing would suggest that there's not enough toxins in it to add additional [concerns] to that problem, but it's a big enough problem by itself.

"So we need to, as soon as we can, stop this dust from being generated and blowing into Port Augusta."

Rain delayed action on permanent solution: EPA

Mr Dolan said the dust suppression used on the ash dams was never a long-term solution.

He said work was meant to begin on a permanent solution, but the rain had delayed that.

Port Augusta becomes Pompeii Photo: Port Augusta draws comparisons with the ancient, volcano-hit Roman town Pompeii. (ABC News)

"The longer term solution — we'll definitely be covering it in soil and revegetating the area — so that work was due to start this week," he said.

"It's been quite difficult to get heavy equipment up to the ash dams.

"We don't have a lot of power station closures in Australia and that's the problem — the ash is being deposited along with cooling water over a long time and … it's a new experience to try and cap this and deal with it."

No excuse for hold up, Port Augusta Mayor says

Environment Minister Ian Hunter said the State Government was working with the EPA to fast-track a solution, but ultimately the Government was not responsible for the site.

He said Flinders Power, a company previously part of Alinta Energy, should bear the cost of cleaning up the site.

External Link: Maurice Nistico tweets: @abcnewsAdelaide flyash deposit overnight middle of town. What are we breathing?

"Ensuring the ash is not a menace to the public is, in the first instance, the responsibility of Flinders Power," Mr Hunter said.

"The Government believes the private company which was running the power station as a commercial operation must bear the cost of the clean-up.

"It would be unfair to burden taxpayers with unnecessary costs."

Port Augusta Mayor Sam Johnson told 891 ABC Adelaide the ash had been a problem for months.

"It's all well and good for Minister Hunter to ... say he wants a report from the EPA by the end of the week, well why doesn't he have this information already?" Mr Johnson said.

"18 months ago I sat in a room with government advisors and ministers and they were advised then 'what are you going to do about dust suppression', so why has it come to this?"

State MP Dan van Hollst Pellekaan said the problem should have dealt with months ago.

"In Port Augusta we don't want to be a guinea pig so that it can be got right somewhere else," he said.

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