Corrupted water testing procedures employed in Tasmania
Innappropriate timing of water sampling
Taking samples from locations chosen for their likelihood of showing nil or minimum contamination
Failing to keep track of chemical use in our water catchments
General failure to test the toxicity of the water or - if/when this is done under pressure - failure to carry out an adequate assessment
of cause
It took 10 weeks for the Tasmania Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment to test the soil and water after a helicopter crashed in the George
River catchment in December 2004.
Reference: 'Scammell ... a lot of questions left unanswered' Authors: Chris & Julie Jonkers. Thursday, August 19, 2004
http://www.tasmaniantimes.com/jurassic/letsarchive9.html
Forestry Tasmania and DPIWE were both engaged in the practice of taking a water sample from respective West Calder resident's rainwater tanks even when
the intake pipe had been disconnected before during and after aerial spraying events in the region.
Reference: Direct experience of the author of this website (Brenda Rosser) and her family and neighbours.
Plus:
Monitoring Response by Break O’Day Council to the St Helens mass oyster mortalities in 2004
"Break O’Day Council has been testing the water supply since July 2004. Council is sampling from the George River just above its entry in to Georges Bay,
where dilution is maximized. The St Helens Town water intake is several kilometers upstream. So far no chemicals have been detected..."
Source: A case study: 'Community Monitoring in St Helens, Environmental and human health problems, Georges Bay, Tasmania'. Aerial_spray.pdf
The Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment could provide "no comprehensive data on all chemicals used in water catchment areas
[types, quantities, methodology etc.] in the past decade. We still have no idea what is being used in our catchments."[Reference: 'DPIWE Review of the Scammell
Report ... misinformation and muddled reasoning' by Dr Alison Bleaney on Friday, August 13, 2004.
http://www.tasmaniantimes.com/jurassic/letsarchive9.html]
On what basis can an adequate water testing regime be implemented under such conditions of ignorance?
2004: "Dr Bleaney has pointed out that the council and other agencies were using methods to detect individual chemicals rather than testing whether
the water itself was toxic and then investigating possible causes."
Source: A case study: 'Community Monitoring in St Helens, Environmental and human health problems, Georges Bay, Tasmania'. Aerial_spray.pdf