Charlotte Pass Snow Resort convicted and ordered to pay more than $200,000
The NSW Land and Environment Court has convicted Charlotte Pass Snow Resort Pty Ltd and ordered it to pay more than $200,000 in fines and costs as a result of polluting Spencers Creek in Kosciuszko National Park.
The resort also failed to maintain and operate its sewerage treatment plant in a proper and efficient manner, in breach of its environment protection licence.
In 2019, over a period of 78 days, partially treated effluent from the resort’s sewage treatment plant discharged into Spencers Creek that had ammonia and total nitrogen levels in excess of the licence limits.
The resort was convicted and fined a total of $144,000 for water pollution and for breaching its licence and was also ordered to pay the NSW EPA’s investigation costs of more than $90,000 and legal costs.
NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Chief Executive Officer, Tony Chappel said when you are a resident in one of the State’s most pristine National Parks, we expect you to meet the highest standards.
“Charlotte Pass and the surrounding Snowy Mountains are a much-loved attraction for families right across NSW and we expect everyone to do their part to protect the environment,” Mr Chappel said.
“With wild rivers and mountains, this is a special place and the resort should have taken more care to protect it.
“Most disappointingly, the offences were foreseeable with the resort having knowledge that the plant and equipment in question needed to be repaired.
“If you know that your equipment doesn’t meet the standards required, it must be addressed, failure to do so is an unacceptable disregard of the environment.”