Dear Valued Clients and Colleagues,

How time flies. Christmas 2007 only seems like yesterday yet it seems like a lifetime ago when we were in our Toowong office. Our new office is definitely home and we are doing our best to try to fill the new space already.

For those of you who attended our little office warming party, thanks for taking the time to come and help us celebrate. It was lovely to catch up and take you around our new space. We are already thinking of another reason for a party! Maybe the 20th anniversary of the company coming up in June 2009 is a good reason.

The economic downturn?

The “end of the mining boom” is here according to this weeks paper.

With such turmoil going on in the global economy it’s hard to see it not impacting everyone. So far we have been fortunate and we have not suffered any major ill effects. Our work diary for 2009 is looking very healthy at this stage. However, we have a number of R&D projects that will improve our capacity to deliver high quality air quality studies in the event that things slow down.

What have we been doing this year?

Mines and LNG plants seem to have been the hot items this year. I can’t remember when we have had so many mining projects on the books and the size of the mines seems to be getting bigger and bigger!

Gladstone is still a major source of work for us with not only new LNG plants, but also ongoing work for the Department of Infrastructure and Planning with the completion of a major upgrade of the Gladstone Airshed Modelling System.

We are working closely with Rio Tinto Alcan at their Boyne Island Smelter to learn more about the facility's contribution to the Gladstone airshed.

We have been kept busy with trips to Mount Isa, Gladstone, Townsville and various sites in central Queensland in recent months, but our reach goes beyond Queensland having completed studies for power stations in Western Australia, South Australia and the United States during the last year.

Our summer heat stress forecasting for feedlot cattle has expanded to almost 100 sites this year and we are also providing a service to Dairy Australia to forecast a temperature and humidity index at over 30 sites around Australia.

We have sent various staff to modelling workshops and training courses to keep up with the latest developments in the industry. Katestone Environmental has a strong commitment to training and development and to the technical development of air quality and dispersion modelling science.

Thanks and Merry Christmas

Although it has been a very busy year at Katestone it’s been both enjoyable and challenging. We have had the pleasure of working with some wonderful people and thanks for sending some of your more interesting projects our way! We are always up for a challenge.

Thanks for all your continued support and we hope to be hearing from you again soon in the New Year. Have a safe and happy Christmas.

Yours sincerely
Christine Killip
Managing Director

And from all the team at Katestone... Christine Killip, Simon Welchman, Andrew Balch, Natalie Shaw, Lena Jackson, Victor Leach, Andrew Wiebe, Kim Henville, Alex Schloss, Frank Quintarelli, Sarah Menzel, Donna Wruck and Alma Wallace...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year for 2008

Meet our new people

Andrew Wiebe B.Sc.(Hons)Phys.Geo.

Andrew joined the Katestone team at the beginning of the year and has quickly put his talents to good use. Andrew has a Bachelor of Science in Physical Geography and Biology degree, with Honours in Physical Geography, from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.

His honours dissertation was titled ‘Wavelet Analysis of Atmospheric Turbulence over a Coral Reef’, and involved the study of the decomposition of atmospheric signals using wavelet analysis to determine the characteristics of the exchange of momentum, heat, moisture and trace gases, such as carbon dioxide, at the atmosphere-ocean-reef interface. Andrew’s expertise includes atmospheric numerical modelling, using models such as TAPM, Calpuff and the Weather Research Forecasting Model (WRF) to simulate and interpret airflow in complex terrain.

Victor Leach M.Sc.

Victor has recently accepted a position as Principal Air Quality Consultant at Katestone and will start early in the New Year. Victor has a Master’s of Science Degree in Meteorology from University of Melbourne. His thesis involved the development of an air quality model for evaluating the dispersion of radon gas and the air borne particulates from open cut uranium mines in arid areas of Australia.

Victor has also worked for Pancontinental Mining and was responsible for gathering atmospheric data from a number of air monitoring stations as input material for the Jabiluka Uranium Mine (NT) Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). This study was used to determine the “member of the public” radiation doses at habitable sites near the proposed mine. This study was also used to determine the optimum heights of mine vents and their location for favorable dispersion in the Jabiluka mine valley.

Victor has also run his own company and carried out a number of consultancy assignments, which involved atmospheric studies for the Olympic Dam Project (SA) and ERA Ranger Uranium Mine (NT). He also successfully developed a predictive air quality model for the Mah Moe Coal Mine and Power stations development in Thailand.

Sarah Menzel B.Sc.(Hons)

Sarah completed a Bachelor of Science with a major in Chemistry and minor in Mathematics at the University of the Sunshine Coast in 2007. Sarah also completed post graduate Honours in Environmental Science and mathematical modelling in 2008 at the University of the Sunshine Coast. Sarah started work part time at Katestone before completing her degree and is now working full time.

The Honours project titled “Modelling the atmospheric deposition of nutrients: Pumicestone Passage case study” involved research into the impact that the poultry industry in the Pumicestone Passage Catchment is having on the water quality. The project was in response to the algal blooms in regions of the Pumicestone Passage and Moreton Bay as well as government concern over the possible nutrient inputs into coastal waters and catchments. TAPM was used to simulate the dispersion and fate of the ammonia that is emitted from the 41 poultry facilities in the region over a one-year period.

The results of the simulation gave an estimate of the annual input of poultry sourced ammonia emissions into the Pumicestone Passage and the surrounding Catchment through atmospheric deposition.