ABSTRACT
State legislation has been developed to provide support for impact statement requirements, the Western Australian Environmental Protection Act. When considering a new plant proposal it is probably sensible to design for discharge levels which are at least half of the current values. However, proposals for containment, clean-up and discharge of major chemical spills are required within the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report. Most countries now require a company to file an EIA report as part of the proposal for a new chemical plant. Manuals often contain advice beyond the basic aspects including the structure and scope of the assessment, responsibility for the study, review procedures, implementation, monitoring, etc. Discharges and hazards of various kinds are subject to separate controls and all major discharge sources are subject to authorisation procedures, air, water and solid wastes, and noise nuisances. The part of the EIA relates to the effects of a major accident or spill within the plant.
