Scheme compliance
Hunter River Salinity Trading Scheme Performance Report 2023–24.
Only one scheme participant was non-compliant during the 2023-2024 period (Table 5). Over a period of 10 days between 13 and 22 June 2024, Hunter Valley Operations (HVO) intermittently discharged an estimated total of 532 kilolitres of saline mine water into Farrells Creek, a tributary of the Hunter River. This was a potential contravention of HVO’s licence conditions. After investigating the matter, on 16 December 2024 the EPA issued HVO with a penalty notice for an alleged offence under section 64 of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 regarding the contravening of the condition of a licence.
Table 5: Summary of the number and type of non-compliant discharges in 2023-24 the EPA has issued action on
| Participant | Number of non-compliant discharges | Type | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter Valley Operations | 10 | Contravention of licence conditions by discharge from a non-licensed discharge point | EPA issued a Penalty Notice to the participant |