Snowy Hydro Limited (Snowy Hydro) will pay $400,000 to help protect the iconic Northern Corroboree Frog as part of a legally binding agreement with the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA).
The recently finalised enforceable undertaking (EU) was negotiated with Snowy Hydro in relation to a 2023 pollution incident involving elevated nitrate levels in surface water and groundwater at Lobs Hole, on the Snowy 2.0 construction site in Kosciuszko National Park.
Under the EU, the company has committed to paying $400,000 to the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to establish two new frog enclosures in the wild, aimed at protecting the critically endangered Northern Corroboree Frog from the threat of the deadly chytrid fungus.
The EU also requires the company to pay the EPA's legal and investigation fees, totalling $90,000.
Director of Operations Steve Orr said the EU reflects the EPA's strong stance on environmental breaches in sensitive areas.
"National parks, including Kosciuszko, are State protected areas and strict environmental laws are in place to protect their delicate ecosystems," Mr Orr said.
"The EPA expects licence holders to comply with these laws and to take all necessary steps to prevent harm to the environment.
"This EU was considered an appropriate regulatory response to the incident because it provides tangible and long-term benefits for the surrounding environment. In this case, the $400,000 funding commitment will go directly to on-the-ground conservation to assist NPWS' efforts to re-populate and protect this vulnerable frog."
Snowy Hydro was issued with a Clean-Up Notice in response to the incident in December 2023, requiring them to immediately stop adding material containing high nitrate levels to spoil areas on the construction site.
Following this, the company implemented a range of enhanced monitoring programs, established lined emplacement areas, installed new water treatment facilities and adopted a Nitrogen Management Plan to manage nitrates at the site (the first of its kind in NSW).
There is no evidence the pollution from this incident had any impact on the Northern Corroboree Frog or it's close sibling, the Southern Corroboree Frog, which is only found in Kosciuszko National Park.
A copy of the enforceable undertaking is available here: https://apps.epa.nsw.gov.au/prpoeoapp/ViewNotice.aspx?ID=1649096
