Get the Site Right – May 2021 campaign results
Results from the May 2021 Get the Site Right inspection blitz show that more work is needed to educate builders and renovators on the importance of essential erosion and sediment controls to prevent runoff from their building sites entering our waterways.
Twenty-one councils across Sydney and the Hunter Coast, supported by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), took part in the month-long campaign. Officers inspected 762 sites with 67 per cent of those found to be compliant. While the results show a 7 per cent reduction in compliance from the October campaign, an additional 166 sites were inspected in May compared to October, during a period of increased building activity and no COVID-19 restrictions.
In addition to joint inspections with some councils, the EPA inspected four large infrastructure building sites with the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) and 15 concrete batching plants within the Sydney basin. The EPA’s inspections generally found plants to be stopping water pollution but a small number of operators needed improvements to their practices, including upgrades to aggregate storage bays and better stormwater capture and treatment.
A further one-day inspection blitz is planned for October, enabling councils to follow up non-compliant sites. To find out more, visit: ourlivingriver.com.au/
