Pinjarra community members expressed their concerns about potential dust emissions from the nearby Alcoa Pinjarra Refinery operations. Consequently, the department carried out a monitoring campaign to assess ambient dust levels for different times of year.
An air quality monitoring station was operated at a community receptor location on the northeastern outskirts of the Pinjarra township, over three periods in 2023 and 2024 for about five months.
The focus of the monitoring was on likely worst-case conditions during summer with higher temperatures and frequent easterly winds.