Macquarie Valley monitoring program

Building on the findings of the pilot program conducted from February to July 2021, monitoring recommenced in March 2023 at sites in the Narromine Local Government Area. The collection of seasonal data on the prevalence and types of pesticides in the environment is needed to support and justify the need for different regulatory approaches.

This monitoring program involves bulk deposition and vegetation sampling taken fortnightly and passive air sampling taken monthly.

As of May 2023, samples have been collected on 4 occasions with no pesticides detected in any samples.

Location of sample sites

Trangie	Mungeribar Lane, Trangie
Trangie	Mitchell Highway, Trangie
Gin Gin	Wambianan Road, Gin Gin
Gilgandra	Railway Street, Gilgandra

We are currently investigating suitable sites to extend the monitoring program in the Upper Namoi area of NSW including Gunnedah, Narrabri and Warren local government areas.

Pilot monitoring program 2021

The pilot monitoring program was conducted in the Macquarie Valley from February to July 2021 in response to community concerns regarding damage to vegetation including peppercorn and Kurrajong trees.

The aim of the program was to detect pesticides used in these local government areas and determine whether general agriculture practices, in particular defoliant use, could potentially impact on non-target vegetation. The pilot program was not designed to identify specific cases of spray drift.

Samples were collected at sites in Narromine, Trangie, Gilgandra and Warren using methods including bulk deposition sampling, passive air sampling, leaf sampling and leaf health/condition observations.

The pilot program monitored the presence of pesticides on vegetation, vegetation condition and the presence of pesticides in the air using:

bulk deposition sampling (where rainfall and/or deposited particles are collected) was conducted weekly
passive air sampling (where dry particles and semi-volatile pesticides absorb onto a treated polyurethane foam disc) was collected monthly
visual monitoring of vegetation condition to detect any changes that could be attributed to pesticide impacts, was conducted monthly
leaf sampling and analysis to detect pesticides on the surface of the vegetation was conducted weekly if pesticides were detected in bulk deposition samplers.

The bulk deposition and passive air samples were tested for more than 600 pesticides including a wide range of herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides.

Location of sample sites

Trangie	Mungeribar Lane, Trangie
Gin Gin	Wambianan Road, Gin Gin
Bundemar	Castlebar Road, Bundemar
Gilgandra	Railway Street, Gilgandra

Results of bulk deposition and vegetation sampling

Sixty nine samples were collected and analysed. The analysis detected 8 different pesticides. All pesticides detected are approved for use by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA).

Method	Pesticide detected	Times detected (total of 69 samples)	Range of pesticide levels detected	Location(s) detected
Bulk deposition	atrazine	9	0.03 - 1µg/L	Trangie, Gin Gin, Bundemar, Gilgandra
Bulk deposition	carbendazim	1	0.1 µg/L	Gilgandra
Bulk deposition	ethephon	1	0.04 mg/L	Gin Gin, Bundemar
Bulk deposition	simazine	1	0.03 µg/L	Bundemar
Vegetation sampling	atrazine	3	8 – 11 µg/kg	Trangie, Gilgandra
Vegetation sampling	diuron	2	13 – 17 µg/kg	Trangie, Gilgandra
Vegetation sampling	ethephon	1	Positive detection (not quantified)	Trangie
Vegetation sampling	glyphosate	1	Positive detection (not quantified)	Trangie

Results of passive air sampling

26 samples were collected and analysed from 5 locations. 38 positive results detected 6 pesticides.

Method	Chemical	Times detected (total of 26 samples)	Range of Pesticide levels detected	Locations
Passive air sampling	atrazine	12	Positive	Warren, Trangie
Passive air sampling	diuron	7	Positive	Warren, Trangie
Passive air sampling or samples	fluroxypyr-1-methylheptylester	2	Positive	Gilgrandra
Passive air sampling	metolachlor	5	Positive	Warren, Trangie
Passive air sampling	propyzamide	5	Positive	Trangie
Passive air sampling	terbuthylazine	7	Positive	Trangie, Gilgandra, Warren

The passive sampling method identified if pesticides were present in the sample, and what types of pesticides were present. The amount of pesticide present in each sample was not measured. Results are either positive (pesticide detected) or negative (not detected).

Results of vegetation health monitoring

Vegetation health monitoring identified a slight increase in peppercorn tree canopy loss between May and July 2021 at the Trangie and Gilgandra monitoring sites. Leaf scorch on peppercorn trees were observed at all sites.

There was no change in canopy condition observed for Kurrajong trees. Leaf scorch was observed on Kurrajong trees at Trangie in July 2021.

Outcomes of the pilot sampling program

Pesticides were detected in each local government area.
Atrazine was the most common pesticide detected.
While slight changes in vegetation condition were observed, it is not possible to link these changes to pesticide overspray.
While pesticides were detected in the bulk deposition and passive air samples, there is insufficient data to link the presence of pesticides to any potential harm to vegetation or people.
Further studies are needed to understand the impact of spraying activities on non-target vegetation.
The EPA, in consultation with the community, experts and key stakeholders, will design a study to further our understanding of pesticides and their potential impact on the community and environment.

Penalties for pesticide misuse

In NSW, it is illegal to use pesticides in a way that could injure people or cause damage or harm to properties, plants and animals that are not the target pest species.

Deliberate misuse of pesticides is a serious environmental crime, and we encourage everyone to make reports of suspected overspray immediately to the EPA to help us prosecute offenders.

The EPA investigates all reports of suspected pesticide misuse made to us via the 24-hour Environment Line on 131 555.

Those found to have wilfully or negligently caused damage, harm or injury through pesticide misuse can face fines of up to $120,000 for an individual and $250,000 for a company under the Pesticides Act 1999.