Kalgoorlie NPI Trial report

About this report

The Kalgoorlie NPI Trial to test the parameters of the National Pollutant Inventory (NPI) in a regional mining environment has been a successful partnership between Environment Australia, WMC Resources Limited and the Western Australian Department of Environment Protection.

The trial results provide a comprehensive picture of the emissions of NPI substances within the Kalgoorlie region. These emissions were estimated from major industrial sources, as well as minor sources, including motor vehicles, aircraft, locomotives, commercial premises and households. Members of the community in Kalgoorlie now have access to information that not only gives them a greater understanding of sources of pollution in their local environment, but also enables them to see how they contribute to those emissions.

The challenges faced and overcome by the trial participants in complying with the NPI reporting process have helped pave the way for a smooth introduction of the NPI in other parts of Australia. The trial tested methodologies and emission factors presented in a range of Emission Estimation Technique Manuals during their development phase. It provided a realistic appraisal of these manuals from a user perspective. In many of the facilities, results obtained using emission factors were compared with direct monitoring data, highlighting areas where further work on emission factors is required. Results from the trial also gave an indication of emission sources that were found to be very significant and those which had a much lesser impact.

The transfer of wastes within the region were investigated and emissions were estimated against the full reporting list of 90 substances, providing a useful source of information for a future review of the NPI National Environment Protection Measure.