Woodlawn Bioreactor plans new $10m treatment plant

The odour drifting over from the Woodlawn bioreactor, filled with Sydney’s rubbish, has given people nausea and caused dry retching, according to a 2015 complaint to the EPA. Operator Veolia Environmental Services was fined $8000 on that occasion and put the “unbearable smell” down to a failure in its landfill gas and leachate management systems.

In September the company was slugged with another $15,000 fine for failing to meet a submission deadline for a component of the long-term leachate management strategy. The report, on the suitability of using two dams for leachate control, was 184 days late.

But now the company has an application with the NSW Department of Planning to construct a $10 million leachate treatment plant. The EPA had given Veolia until December to commission a new plant. 

The company’s NSW group general manager Ben Sullivan said it would not be ready by then.

“We’ve written to residents saying we’d be investing in a new plant. We’ve ordered half of those parts but there is a long lead-in time,” he told The Post earlier this month.

He said due partly to the complexity of design the plant would not be commissioned for another year. Weather patterns experienced in the past three to four years had contributed to the odour but Mr Sullivan said further investment was needed in a solution.

The application openly admits the problem.

“The amount of leachate being generated in the waste mass is greater than what was originally modeled and is now beyond the capacity of the existing leachate management system to deal with effectively. This unanticipated increase in leachate in the pit has reduced the efficiency of gas extraction and increased the potential for odour impacts,” it states.

With leachate storage approaching capacity, the modification application seeks to build a treatment plant from two dams and discharge it into evaporation dam one, which will become the primary storage. Overland pipes will deliver raw leachate from the bioreactor to the plant.

Mr Sullivan said Heron Resources, which was resurrecting the old Woodlawn zinc, copper and lead mine, would use the clean water returned to evaporation dam one in its de-watering process, ensuring there was enough storage capacity. 

The Woodlawn Eco-precinct is described as a nil water discharge site and as such, effective management of leachate and integration of Veolia’s water needs with those of Heron, is essential.

The new plant is predicted to treat greater volumes of leachate and reduce the odour.

Meantime, the application also asks the State’s Planning Department to remove the need to seek upfront approval from the secretariat for the receipt of regional waste above 50,000 tonnes per annum.

The company argues this is an “administrative burden” and reduces its responsiveness to variations in regional waste capacity and demand. However the 130,000 tonne annual limit would remain.

The Tarago and District Progress Association (TADPAI) objected to the proposed change in a submission to the department.

“TADPAI has the view that the Secretary approval should still be sought by Veolia, as that approval is linked to conditions that need to be met,” the submission stated.

“Retaining the Secretary’s approval step should ensure that all conditions have been satisfied before the 50,000tpa waste limit is passed.”

It’s understood the Association is concerned about road impacts.

Veolia’s application also asks that approval condition “inconsistencies” be remedied to allow operations on public holidays other than Good Friday and Christmas Day.