Tate Papworth
A Brimbank councillor is calling on the state government to establish a taskforce to investigate widespread contamination across the west.
Cr Virginia Tachos will table a notice of motion at tonight’s council meeting calling for a taskforce to assess the extent of potentially contaminated land issues associated with current and closed landfills, including soil, water and vapour issues.
Her call comes weeks after Star Weekly revealed that a number of properties built on and around the closed Sunshine landfills are sitting on buried waste and are being exposed to methane gas.
Cr Tachos wants the taskforce to advise on how to best monitor and report on the toxic problems, to provide the community the confidence that on-site and off-site impacts are not adversely affecting their health and well-being.
It would also work closely with the council in investigating the impacts the landfills site has on the local community.
Several residents have told Star Weekly that they had no idea their homes sat on top of a former landfill.
Under the proposal, the taskforce would create improvements to regulatory systems to ensure current and future communities understand the presence of known and potentially contaminated land.
It would also create an environmental equity package to identify and respond to historic land contamination issues across the west, beginning with the Sunshine Landfills.
But it wouldn’t be limited to the Sunshine Landfills problem.
According to the EPA priority sites register, Brimbank currently has 19 sites that require monitoring, clean up, and management.
Residents in Kealba have reported being “blasted by a toxic smell” from two underground fires that have been burning at the active landfill in the suburb since October.
The $11 million Stony Creek Transformation Project came to a standstill last year after asbestos was discovered and remediation costs blew out.
Work was initially planned to be completed by mid 2019, however the site is currently a far cry from the transformed oasis promised.
Meanwhile in 2018 the EPA issued a warning to the public to stay away from a number of Brimbank waterways.
The agency recommended that people avoid swimming in the water and keep pets away from Arundel Creek, Deep Creek and Maribyrnong River.
The warning followed a preliminary risk assessment of data provided by Melbourne Airport about levels of PFAS at the airport and in surrounding waterways.
Warning signs still remain in place.
