6.3 Issues identified for future noxious and hazardous industry site
selection
Runoff is generally a problem in established industrial estates as large scale water
containment systems were not considered as design requirements as was the case with
Binary Industries fire. It was necessary for DERM to undertake significant remedial action to
address the environmental consequences of the fire. The issue of firewater runoff at NIE was
addressed by Department of Infrastructure and Planning (DIP) as part of the accelerated
planning initiatives where a range of mitigation strategies to reduce potential chemical runoff
in the event of a future incident within the Narangba Industrial Estate were examined.
The actions undertaken by DIP to improve the emergency management infrastructure of the
NIE include:
a. development of an options assessment for emergency infrastructure assessment (GHD
Report May 2009)
b. Narangba Industrial Estate Temporary Bund Modelling (GHD Report May 2009)
c. confirmation of Fire and Fire Water Management Strategy for Narangba Industrial Estate.
d. fire fighting access to enhancement infrastructure which includes a series of gate access
locations for emergency services, as per Appendix 7.
Noxious and hazardous industrial estate planning and design including controlled drainage
features could assist in reducing environmental contamination that may be experienced as a
result of firewater runoff. Experience from the Binary Industries fire highlighted the difficulty
associated with introducing emergency management infrastructure to an established
industrial estate.
A common risk with vacant land or bushland involves the dumping of unwanted products. The
NIE is no exception, with evidence of dumped material found. The main problem with this is
that the contents are largely unknown increasing the risk of environmental contamination. The
limited knowledge surrounding the extent of possible contamination can make it difficult when
trying to prove point of origin after an event. It is recognised that areas have been
subsequently fenced to reduce unauthorised access to sites within the NIE.