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Case study
A farmhand on a mixed farm in the Central Tablelands has been asked to spray blackberry bushes near a local creek using an effective herbicide. Unfortunately, the vehicle he is driving breaks down about an hour after starting the job and has to be left in the paddock while a spare part is located. When the farmhand returns to fix the vehicle, he finds some of the chemical has leaked out of the tank into the nearby creek. There are dead fish floating in the creek and there are cattle in the same paddock.
The farmhand reports the incident to the supervisor who in turn reports the incident to the local council. The spill is cleaned up and other water users down stream are notified that the water in the creek is unsafe. Pollution levels in the creek are monitored for several months and the farm owner is charged with the cost of the clean up and heavily fined.
What could have been done to prevent this incident?
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