Closure of Petrie Paper Mill - Sad for the staff, good news for the Pine River

[Mr__Bean]

I see in today's news that the Petrie Paper Mill is to close.

While this will be devastating for the staff involved, and I don't underestimate that impact, it has got to be good news for the health of the Pine River.

Not sure if Obi is still around but I recall his efforts here to try and get some stuff sorted:

http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/showthread.php?153299-Pine-River-Pollution-Report

Darren

[Still_Dreamin]

Went to school at our lady of the way at Petrie in the 80's. The stench that came out of that place was hideous. Sad for the 200 odd workers but the people of Petrie and Murrumba Downs must be over the moon. Can only see the Pine getting healthier.

[tunaticer]

I have been hearing rumors about main roads being funnelled through their grounds, railways as well. Maybe that is all about to start?
I wonder if the site will remain an industrial zone??
Most of the site is highly prone to flooding, it would take some big levee banks to flood proof it for residential living.

[Feral]

Sad, a bit of history and local employment going. The Mill also did a lot for the local community. All will be missed.

Now we just need all those little lakes they own to be opened up for kayakers and bank fisherman.

[gruntahunta]

More history gone, thanks to the bitch's, "there will be no Carbon Tax under my government" lie. I hope this means another 300 plus voters voting against her party soon.

As for the Pine River, the stench is from the sewerage treatment plant I believe, this will not stop that smell and I do not believe the paper mill was polluting the river at all.

[Still_Dreamin]

Thanks Gruntahunter, but the sewer works are near Murrumba Downs not near where I went to school. Also coincided with the black shit coming out of their stacks.

[MY REHAB]

I am/was a worker at the mill. The smell IS from the sewer treatment plant Still dreamin, and the plant is right beside the mill grounds. The political member for the area a few years ago had to make a public retraction because they blamed us for the smell and it was PROVED that it was not us.
As for the river, we have won INTERNATIONAL environment awards for our water treatment and that black shit that that you say is coming out of out stacks, is the SAME black shit that comes out of all the stacks that make your power.
The mill was the life blood of the pine rivers area for alot of years and is a large employer in the area. It also does so much for the community. It will be a sad day when they shut it down.

[tunaticer]

Feral, some of those little lakes you refer to are old gravel mine pits dug by the then Pioneer Concrete group as a source for their resources. I don't think you will find they are as pristine as you may think they are as they dug through a layer of coal in at least one of the lakes. The rest of the lakes are sedimentation ponds used for the treatment of the water the mill uses, again they are not very clean.
The lakes on the southern side of the river are / were involved in a proposal for an elite residential development a few years ago.....don't know if that is still an ongoing concern. If it is your chances of being able to fish it are next to none.

[TREVELLY]

Have those lakes flooded recently and flushed out - if so they will be alive with fish.

Will be interesting to see what takes the place of the mill as it is only a few kilometres from my place.

[fairpractice]

Hi all. To add a bit to the improvement of the pine river I would like to comment that, over a period of 20 years to the present, the mud bank animal population around the rivermouth has showed a big loss in diversification. i.e. species observed in earlier times have now gone. My take on this was Not the papermill but the growth of industrial businesses in the area. Conclusion; don't expect a dramatic improvement in the "health" of the pine river. Sorry to see the jog loss figure and will not state the political obvious. cheers john

[Feral]

Feral, some of those little lakes you refer to are old gravel mine pits dug by the then Pioneer Concrete group as a source for their resources. I don't think you will find they are as pristine as you may think they are as they dug through a layer of coal in at least one of the lakes. The rest of the lakes are sedimentation ponds used for the treatment of the water the mill uses, again they are not very clean.
The lakes on the southern side of the river are / were involved in a proposal for an elite residential development a few years ago.....don't know if that is still an ongoing concern. If it is your chances of being able to fish it are next to none.

I have fished both the lakes closest to the road (with Permission), they were full of huge tarpon and trophy size bream before the 2009 floods. One of the dive schools used to use the one closest to the road for training as it had fantastic visibility, the second one visibility was not so flash, but great fish in there.