Wet hinders spill probe

Government says cause of Mount Low oil contamination not yet known

THE State Government is continuing to investigate an oil spill at Mount Low but says wet weather hampered efforts to find its source and extent.

The spill on soil underneath the Bruce Highway overpass leading to Mount Low Parkway was identified in February.

The spill covers an area about 1.5m wide by 20m long and laboratory results show it is consistent with a lowviscosity bulk fuel oil.

Similar oil has been used in the Yabulu nickel refinery and a pipeline leading to the refinery from the port runs along a rail corridor near the spill. A spokesman for the Depart- ment of Environment and Science said they continued to investigate the origin of the oil spill.

“Wet weather has to date prevented works to identify the source, cause and extent of the contamination,” the spokesman said. “There are no other current investigations into oil leaks near the oil pipeline in question.”

Refinery owner Clive Palmer was reported by television media in March stating that the pipeline lease was rescinded two years ago and that the pipeline was now the State Government’s problem. The Government did not respond to this statement.

Instead, a spokesman for government agency Workplace Health and Safety Queensland said the operator of the refinery was required to engage a competent person to assess and report on the structural stability of the pipeline to the port.

“WHSQ and Department of Envi- ronment and Science are making regular inspections of the Yabulu refinery site, with WHSQ also monitoring the fuel line,” a WHSQ spokesman said. He said the Petroleum and Gas Inspectorate of the Department of Natural Resources and Mines had last inspected the pipeline on July 27, 2016.

The refinery was closed in early 2016 and has been under the care and management of Mr Palmer’s Queensland Nickel Sales Pty Ltd.