Woodlawn Eco Precinct, Tarago
Veolia Environmental Services (Australia) Pty Ltd (Veolia) operates 3 EPA-licensed facilities in Tarago NSW, the Woodlawn Landfill, the Woodlawn Mechanical and Biological Treatment (MBT) facility and the Crisps Creek Intermodal Facility.
Two of Veolia’s 3 licensed facilities, the Woodlawn Landfill (EPL 11436) and the MBT facility (EPL 20476), are located within the Woodlawn Eco Precinct (the Precinct), about 6 kilometres west of Tarago. The Precinct also includes a bioenergy plant, the Woodlawn Farm and a series of evaporation dams that capture polluted surface water, leachate and legacy mine waters.
The Woodlawn Mine (EPL 20821), operated by Develop Global Ltd, is also located within the boundary of the Precinct. The mine maintains its own evaporation and tailings dams that also capture mining and mineral process water.
In October 2024 the EPA conducted surface water sampling across the Precinct in response to the risk of an overflow event from dams. This included surface water sampling at potential receiving waterways known as Allianoyonyiga Creek and Crisps Creek. The analysis of this sampling showed elevated salinity, nutrients, zinc and low level per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the surface water.
If you are interested in obtaining a copy of the surface water sampling results from these creeks in October 2024, please email [email protected].
To confirm the findings from the October 2024 sampling and determine whether a more detailed investigation was needed, the EPA undertook additional sampling on 29 April 2025.
Water sampling: Findings 29 April 2025
Overall, both Allianoyonyiga Creek and Crisps Creek show signs of elevated pollutants, with water quality typically poorest at the sampling sites closest to the licenced facilities within the Precinct and improving with distance downstream. Sampling sites closest to the licenced facilities within the Precinct had some of the highest concentrations of salinity, nutrients, total dissolved solids (TDS) and total positive PFAS.
PFAS compounds were detected at all sample locations except in the Mulwaree River upstream of the intersection with Crisps Creek. PFOS exceeded the ecological guidelines at most sample sites with the highest PFOS concentrations observed at sites AL02 in Allianoyonyiga Creek and CR01 in Crisps Creek (both within the boundary of the Precinct), and at sample site CR04 which is in Crisps Creek upstream of the intersection with the Mulwaree River (within the boundary of Veolia's licenced intermodal facility).
The presence of PFOS in water samples does not necessarily mean there is a risk to human health or livestock. NSW Health recommends that surface water from farm dams, rivers and creeks should not be used for drinking, cooking or personal hygiene without testing and appropriate treatment.
Read the full Woodlawn Surface Water Quality Report (PDF 3.7MB).
In response to the potential for water pollution to be occurring from the Woodlawn site, the EPA has varied an existing licence condition (pollution reduction program) on the EPL of the Woodlawn Landfill, requiring detailed investigations, assessment and modelling of the potential off-site impacts. Further information about these requirements is under ‘recent regulatory action’.
As a precautionary measure, the EPA is conducting private bore water sampling from mid-September 2025 and will be contacting residents living in close proximity to the Precinct. Depending on the results of the initial sampling, the program may be expanded to include additional properties.
Stay up to Date
To be added to our community mailing list to receive EPA updates related to the Woodlawn Eco Precinct in Tarago, please contact [email protected].
Recent regulatory action
Pollution Reduction Program
The EPA incorporated a Pollution Reduction Program (PRP) into the Woodlawn Landfill licence, which required Veolia to prepare a Hydrogeological Risk Assessment (HRA). The HRA was submitted to the EPA in late October 2024. It identified potential groundwater seepage pathways from 2 wastewater collection dams at the Woodlawn Landfill.
In response to the findings of the Hydrogeological Risk Assessment and surface water sampling conducted by the EPA, we varied the PRP attached to the Woodlawn Landfill licence in July 2025, requiring Veolia to undertake a series of actions, including:
- preparing and implementing a groundwater and surface water monitoring program,
- installing additional groundwater monitoring bores,
- developing an environmental risk assessment and an advanced groundwater model, and
- submitting a remediation action plan to prevent, minimise or remove contamination.
Find further information about this Pollution Reduction Program
Litter
In December 2024, the NSW EPA issued Veolia with a Clean-Up Notice to remove wind-blown plastic waste from the property neighbouring the Woodlawn Landfill premises. This Notice was issued following an inspection of the neighbouring property on 7 November 2024.
Find further information about the issuing of this Clean-Up Notice and variation.
Leachate dams
As of 20 November 2024 each of Veolia’s leachate dams previously at risk of an overflow event were restored to levels in compliance with their licence.
This follows the EPA issuing Veolia with a Clean-Up Notice in October 2024 after some dams used to store leachate, or wastewater, generated from their landfill operations in Tarago were confirmed to exceed storage limits set by the licence, increasing the risk of a potential offsite overflow event.
Veolia was required to undertake several actions to reduce the levels of leachate contained in their storage dams, including:
- transport treated leachate offsite to a lawful facility
- install temporary storage tanks onsite
- assess the feasibility of technology to reduce treated leachate onsite.
Find further information about the issuing of this Clean-Up Notice.
In addition to the Clean-Up Notice, the EPA issued a $30,000 fine to Veolia for allegedly breaching its licence by allowing one of its dams to exceed the allowed storage capacity in August 2024.
Find further information about the issuing of this Penalty Notice.
Mechanical Biological Treatment facility
In July 2024 the EPA fined Veolia $30,000 after allegedly failing to comply with the conditions of the Environment Protection Licence covering their Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) facility in the Woodlawn Eco-Precinct in Tarago.
Find further information about the issuing of this Penalty Notice.
Tarago odours
We are aware that the community has been experiencing ongoing odours around the Tarago area and are investigating. We appreciate that odours can be unpleasant and can impact quality of life.
Reporting odours
Community reports play an important role in the EPA’s investigation of odours. Important information on odours can be recorded using the fillable fact sheet and odour log sheet (PDF 160KB). You can save this PDF to your device to email [email protected] or to use as a reference if you prefer to call.
If you experience odour impacts please contact Environment Line on 131 555.
We review each report of odour and requiring Veolia to improve odour management at its Woodlawn Eco Precinct.
We are committed to reducing the odour impacts on the community as a priority and have undertaken a range of actions including:
- directing Veolia to install and operate new monitoring stations for meteorology and hydrogen sulphide (rotten-egg smell) at the landfill and in Tarago. The EPA requires Veolia to publicly report these monitoring results (see below).
- including comprehensive landfill surface gas monitoring and public reporting conditions on their licence to assist with the continuous improvement of landfill gas management.
- ensuring Veolia implement additional leachate treatment plant works to increase water extraction from the landfill to improve the efficiency of the gas extraction system.
- directing Veolia to follow up on Annual Independent Odour Audit (a condition of the major project approval) recommendations to mitigate odours including a Landfill Gas Composition Analysis and training of staff to undertake regular odour surveys.
- a Development Control Order (issued by DPE Planning) that requires Veolia to engage specialists to develop short, medium, and long-term leachate and water management strategies within specified timeframes.
We are working with Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure to ensure that Veolia have appropriate safeguards in place to prevent offensive odours from the Woodlawn Eco Precinct and that Veolia comply with all statutory requirements in major project approvals and environment protection licences.
Where necessary we take action including issuing Penalty Notices, Prevention Notices, Warning Letters, Official Cautions and Pollution Reduction Programs for non-compliance with licence conditions.
Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) monitoring
The Environment Protection Licence for the Woodlawn Landfill requires Veolia to operate an ambient air quality monitoring surveillance system to provide real-time feedback on the presence of hydrogen sulphide which has been a common type of odour reported by the Tarago community. One of three AcrulogTM monitors is located in the vicinity of the Woodlawn Landfill. Two other monitors are located in the surrounding residential areas where odours are known to occur.
The real-time data can be viewed for the Veolia Eco Precinct, Tarago Recreation Area and Tarago Showground on Veolia’s website.
The automatic AcrulogTM monitors are about the size of a litre carton of milk. They take an air sample every 10 minutes and analyse it for hydrogen sulphide (rotten egg gas). Hydrogen sulphide is a heavier-than-air colourless gas with a rotten egg smell.
The monitors can detect levels as low as 0.003 parts of hydrogen sulphide per million parts of air (ppm), and as high as 2 ppm. About half of the population can smell hydrogen sulphide at a concentration of around 0.008 parts hydrogen sulphide per million parts of air (ppm), but some people can smell it at 0.0005 ppm while others first smell it at 0.3 ppm.
(Information provided by NSW Health)
Exposure to low concentrations of hydrogen sulphide may cause irritation to the eyes, nose or throat, and difficulties in breathing in people with asthma. Repeated exposures at these levels can also understandably cause anxiety and distress and result in indirect symptoms such as headaches and nausea.
These effects are likely to be minor and temporary and should stop once the air quality improves.
Hydrogen sulphide does not accumulate in the body as it is rapidly processed in the liver and excreted in the urine.
If residents are concerned about their symptoms or if symptoms persist once the odours have ceased, they should seek advice from their local general practitioner.