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Air quality  |
We are committed to the ongoing control and improvement of air quality associated with port activities.
Twelve Real Time Monitors are positioned around RGTCT, BPCT and in community locations to provide GPC with data every two minutes, allowing us to assess and control dust generation impacts on the community and to ensure compliance with EPA licence conditions.
The system involves input from two weather stations located in close proximity to RGTCT and BPCT.
The monitors are designed to provide accurate and immediate data on particulate concentrations, wind speeds and directions to pinpoint the location of emission sources, allowing the activation of sprinkler systems to prevent potentially high dust emissions.
GPC also maintains a network of dust depositional gauges (DDGs) in and around its operations and the community. The gauges measure the quantity of coal dust, mineral dust and plant or insect material settling in the area and are a good indication of the success of the coal terminal’s in reducing their coal dust emissions.
We have 25 DDGs located in and around our main operational sites at RGTCT, Gladstone Port Central, the Gladstone Marina and in 12 community locations.
GPC uses various dust suppression measures to minimise dust emissions from its operations. Measures include:
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water sprays on coal conveyors and stockpiles, |
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wind breaks established using direct seeding techniques, |
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watering or applying dust suppressant to unsealed roads used by GPC vehicles, |
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watering or applying dust suppressant to truck loads, |
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covering loads prior to travelling on public roads, and |
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installation of dust extraction equipment on conveyors and shiploaders |
View our current Real Time Monitor data
| Water quality |
GPC monitors the harbour’s water quality using wharf aqualab units (water quality analysers).
Data obtained from these units includes dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, turbidity and electrical conductivity. This data is used to provide interpretive analysis of harbour water quality as a whole. These units have the future potential to be linked into a real time telemetry unit to aid in real time monitoring and remote access to water quality data.
| Seagrass |
GPC recognises that seagrass meadows within the Gladstone harbour are an important and sensitive component of the marine habitats within the port. As part of our commitment to maintaining the health of the port’s marine environment, we conduct an annual seagrass monitoring program to assist in monitoring the health of port environments.
Long term seagrass monitoring programs in Queensland have enabled port management to make informed decisions regarding the planning and development of port infrastructure that will have minimal impact on fisheries and the marine environment. GPC’s seagrass monitoring has indicated that healthy and productive seagrass habitats can coexist with appropriately managed port facilities.
| Flatback Turtles |
Throughout the past decade we have contributed to the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service’s Flatback Turtle Monitoring initiative. South End Curtis Island supports a medium density nesting population of the Flatback Turtle (Natator depressus), a turtle found only in Australian waters. The rookery has been monitored intermittently since 1970.
Flatback Turtles have a soft grey carapace which feels greasy to touch and as the name suggests, is relatively flat with upturned edges. The eggs that are laid by the Flatback Turtle are approximately 5cm in diameter, similar in size to a billiard ball. The Flatback Turtle is uniquely Australian, living in the shallower waters around Northern Australia and is classified as vulnerable to extinction.
Midseason monitoring is conducted nightly during November and December each year. During this period the beach is monitored for at least two hours before high tide until approximately four hours after. All turtles encountered are tagged or checked for tagging, and then measured. Nests are also tagged with nest flags to identify their location.
| Port Curtis Integrated Monitoring Program (PCIMP) |
The PCIMP represents the collective effort of 15 member organisations to implement a coordinated estuarine monitoring program for Port Curtis. GPC’s participation and ongoing support represents our commitment to a sustainable aquatic environment in Port Curtis.
This support includes main research themes such as: assessing the impacts of the 2006 oil spill on the intertidal habitats of Port Curtis; intertidal monitoring of mangrove conditions; sediment contamination and macroinvertebrate assemblages and biomonitoring of transplanted oysters; and devices to measure bio-available metals in Port Curtis.
On 4 March 2008 the inaugural PCIMP Ecosystem Health Report Card was released providing a health rating (A+ to F) for each of the nine harbour zones, based on the data collected during the monitoring.
The full report is available from the PCIMP Website www.pcimp.com.au |
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