An outline of the Tasmanian disaster from Dr Alison Bleaney today (10th March 2009):

The major problem with water safety in Tasmania is the lack of protection of  drinking water catchments.

As only 4 of the 48 Tasmanian water catchments do not have plantations, which are usually planted in upper and mid catchments, the need to protect water catchments from all chemicals that may have a detrimental effect on ecosystems is of paramount importance. Monoculture plantation acreages in Tasmanian water catchments have increased rapidly over the past decade and now cover approximately 270,000 ha. Plantations are routinely aerially sprayed with pesticides during establishment and maintenance.

There is no transparency as to what is actually being used in any catchment. The Tasmanian River Catchment Water Quality Initiative  (2008)  which details  pesticide use in catchments and crops  was based on a  user sample of  25%  undertaken on a  voluntary basis with no linkage to actual use.

The Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries and Water (DPIW) cannot produce a comprehensive list of all pesticides used. Research permits  given by the APVMA  allow the use of some pesticides which cannot be identified other than after an accidental spill as research permits  are ‘commercial-in-confidence’. TRCWQI lists 11 pesticides as being used by forestry; atrazine, alpha-cypermethrin, clopyralid, fluazifop, glyphosate, haloxyfop, hexazinone, metsulfuron-methyl, simazine, sulfometuron-methyl and terbacil.  1080, terbuthylazine, tebufenozide  and spinosad are also now known to be used, although not listed.At least another 118 pesticides are used in agriculture along with an unknown number of toxic wetting agents (e.g. nonylphenol) used by both the forestry and agricultural industries.

Many of these pesticides are endocrine disruptors, reproductive toxins, immunotoxic and change gene functioning.

Forestry companies do not inform water bodies what pesticides they are using on any specific plantation site, yet comply with the Forest Practices Code (FPC) which does not require this information to be given to water bodies or other water users such as aquaculture businesses. The Good Neighbour Charter does not extend to this information being shared with these groups.

Over the 4 years 2005 to 2009,  DPIW has detected pesticides e.g. simazine, atrazine, cyazinine, metsulfuron-methyl, hexazinone and terbacil, MCPA, 2,4-D, pirimicarb and diazinon in Tasmanian rivers during routine monitoring, (54 rivers  are monitored quarterly at the bottom of catchements, 4 rivers have limited intermittent flood monitoring) despite sampling being unrelated to pesticide application and directed towards water soluble chemicals. No sediment sampling is undertaken for chemicals with high soil adsorptions.