The study follows Port Augusta City Council complaints that the coastal area was being smothered by fly ash from the power station.

Last week the EPA said the monitoring had not observed any discharge into Hospital Creek that was “not clear”.

However the last full, formal inspection of the site was conducted in 2008.

This week an EPA spokesperson said the new marine study would look at the impact of emissions of ash within Hospital Creek.

“While some historic work had been conducted which showed no impact, this has not been updated for several years,” they said.

Last month the Port Augusta City Council requested the EPA conduct an aerial survey of the area to determine the extent of the fly ash problem. It is still waiting for an EPA response.