Indicator: CO-28 Quantity of discharges of different substances from humans activities to coastal and marine waters

Data

The following tables show:

change in the number of coastal-based facilities (within 10 kilometres and 10-50 kilometres) of the coast reporting emissions under the NPI from 1998 to 2004;
change in emissions of the top seven substances (in terms of quantity only) from facilities within 10 kilometres of the coast; and
change in average quantity emitted of these pollutants across facilities within 10 kilometres of the coast (to take into account increasing numbers of facilities reporting).

The emissions data provided include only emissions to water, not to air or land.

Number of coastal based facilities reporting emissions to the NPI
Number of facilities	1998-1999	1999-2000	2000-2001	2001-2002	2002-2003	2003-2004
0-10km from coast	400	686	826	956	1090	1142
10-50 km from coast	297	551	691	906	1047	1123
Total number coastal NPI facilities	707	1260	1550	2039	2173	2297

Change in quantities of top seven substances emitted from coastal facilities reporting under the NPI
Year	Substance (million kg)
Year	Total nitrogen	Ammonia	Total phosphorus	Sulfuric acid	Boron and compounds	Manganese and compounds	Fluoride compounds	Total number of facilities reporting
1998-1999	33.18	3.45	8.99	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.21	697
1999-2000	61.15	5.1	14.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.65	1237
2000-2001	36.46	15.45	8.74	0.04	0.04	0.04	1.28	1517
2001-2002	32.57	17.34	9.04	3.13	0.17	0.07	1.11	1862
2002-2003	31.1	19.62	8.88	2.8	1.8	0.06	1.08	2137
2003-2004	31.9	19.53	9.07	2.66	1.36	0.05	1.1	2265

Change in average emissions of substance (kg) emitted across facilities
Year	Total nitrogen	Ammonia	Total phosphorus	Sulfuric acid	Boron and compounds	Manganese and compounds	Fluoride compounds
1998-1999	47,600	4,950	12,900	0	0	0	30
1999-2000	49,430	4,120	11,880	0	0	0	530
2000-2001	24,030	10,190	5,760	30	30	30	840
2001-2002	17,490	9,310	4,860	1,680	90	40	600
2002-2003	14,550	9,180	4,160	1,310	840	30	510
2003-2004	14,080	8,620	4,000	1,170	600	20	490

Source: Derived from the National Pollutant Inventory

Australia's national database of pollutant emissions

For more detail on number of facilities and quantities of substances emitted by facilities: offshore; within 10 kilometres of the coast; within 10 to 50 kilometres of the coast; and total, refer to the spreadsheet below.

Facilities and their proximity to the coastline (Excel - 3430 KB)

For data on locations of major emissions by a range of types of industry or substance, refer to the following maps, noting that the data used in developing the National Marine Atlas are less recent than the data derived directly from the National Pollutant Inventory.

In relation specifically to oil spills, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) keeps a record of sightings and serious spills. Most of these are from shipping but some are from onshore activities.

SUMMARY OF SERIOUS OIL SPILLS
Date	Vessel	Location	Oil amount
03/03/1970	Oceanic Grandeur	Torres Strait	1,100 tonnes
03/12/1987	Nella Dan	Macquarie Island	125 tonnes
20/05/1988	Korean Star	Cape Cuvier WA	600 tonnes
28/07/1988	Al Qurain	Portland VIC	184 tonnes
21/05/1990	Arthur Phillip	Cape Otway VIC	unknown
14/02/1991	Sanko Harvest	Esperance WA	700 tonnes
21/07/1991	Kirki	WA	17,280 tonnes
30/08/1992	Era	Port Bonython SA	300 tonnes
10/07/1995	Iron Baron	Hebe Reef TAS	325 tonnes
28/06/1999	Mobil Refinery	Port Stanvac SA	230 tonnes
03/08/1999	Laura D'Amato	Sydney NSW	250 tonnes

Source: Australian Maritime Safety Authority 2006, Major Oil Spills in Australia, viewed 8 Jun 2006, http://www.amsa.gov.au/Marine_Environment_Protection/
Major_Oil_Spills_in_Australia/index.asp.

OIL SPILL SIGHTING STATISTICS FOR RECENT YEARS
Year	Total Number of oil discharge sightings	Percentage from ships	Percentage from shore	Percentage from exploration	Percentage from other/unknown sources
1995-96	357
1996-97	348
1997-98	254
1998-99	351
1999-2000	353
2000-2001	335
2001-2002	345
2002-2003	300	39	13	2	45
2003-2004	322	40	17	1	42

Source: Australian Maritime Safety Authority 2006, Pollution Incidents, viewed 8 Jun 2006, http://www.amsa.gov.au/Marine_Environment_Protection/National
_Plan/Annual_Reports/AR_2003-2004/Pollution_incidents.asp.

What the data mean

Emissions most likely to be placing pressure on coastal waters are those that are within 10 kilometres of the coast and are discharging directly into coastal waters or coastal freshwater systems. However, facilities within 50 kilometres of the coast are also likely to be discharging into waterways that reach coastal waters with limited time for dilution or dissipation, and may also place pressure on coastal terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems along the way.

The total number of facilities reporting emissions to water, under the NPI, within 50 kilometres of the coast, has increased from 707 in 1998-99 to 2,297 in 2003-2004. The number of facilities reporting discharges to water within 10 kilometres of the coasts has risen from 400 in 1998-99 to 1142 in 2003-04. (Note: this does not mean facilities in these locations have commenced or increased discharges during this period, only that they have commenced reporting those discharges under the NPI.)

Since 1998, total nitrogen has been the most significant emission reported from facilities within ten kilometres of the coast, followed by ammonia, total phosphorus and sulphuric acid. Reported total nitrogen and ammonia emissions have increased over the period, while total phosphorus emissions reported have remained much the same.

Averaged across reporting facilities, nitrogen and ammonia emissions have increased over the period, while average phosphorus emissions have decreased. A reduction in average emissions may reflect that smaller facilities whose emissions are generally lower are the ones that have commenced reporting more recently. However, an increase in average as well as total emissions would suggest that it is emissions as well as number of facilities reporting, that are increasing.

Data Limitations

At this stage the apparent steady increase in reported emissions from coastal-based activities over the years of the NPI is probably more indicative of facilities coming on board with reporting than of actual increases in emissions. This also means that the emissions data currently reported to the NPI are likely to be a very substantial underestimate of actual emissions.

Ultimately, however, it is expected that the trends in reported emissions will be indicative of changes in actual emissions.

The NPI requires reporting of emissions only for substances for which the facility exceeds NPI reporting thresholds. Additionally, some sources are exempt from reporting to the NPI. Extensive agriculture, especially activities such as land clearing and use of pesticides, fertilisers and agricultural combustion engines, also produce emissions but these sources are exempt from reporting to the NPI, even though extensive agriculture may emit quantities of substances that would otherwise qualify for reporting. Data on these emissions are not available from other sources.

Similarly, diffuse emissions from traffic collectively using coastal roads may be discharged into coastal air, water and land in quantities comparable with emissions from NPI reporting facilities but they are not updated regularly and are not included in the facility data.

The table derived from the NPI shows substances by quantity, but does not show their relative harmfulness by weight, for humans, other species or ecosystems. (Most is not necessarily worst.)

Data for the NPI are compiled from facility reports and are only as good as the data provided. Apparent anomalies may be due to errors in the data, or to unusual events at the facilities during the reporting year. Only the emissions, not the activities or events responsible for them, are routinely reported to the NPI.

Issues for which this is an indicator and why

Coasts and Oceans — Direct pressure of human activities on coasts and oceans - Direct pressure of coastal activities (other than shipping and fishing)

Substances vary enormously in terms of what quantities are dangerous to human health and the environment. Therefore a breakdown, as far as possible, of quantities of all substances discharged from coastal facilities either directly into coastal waters, or into coastal freshwater systems, is required to give an indication of the scale of this pressure.