The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has said it doesn’t believe Kealba landfill — a site where fires have been burning underground for six years — is suitable for the operation of landfill.
Three of the four fires have now been extinguished at the site, which is managed by Barro Group.
At a community meeting on Tuesday, September 23 EPA acting executive director of operations Rachel Gualano told Star Weekly the EPA continues to prioritise the site, and has a number of regulatory notices on the site at present.
“We don’t believe the site is suitable for the operation of the landfill,” Ms Gualano said.
Ms Gualano said there had also been a significant reduction in odour reports submitted to the EPA.
She said the reduction was partially due to the EPA’s regulation of the site and the remediation of the hot spots, but also acknowledged the decreased reports may be due to a fatigue in community reporting.
Ms Gualano was not able to comment on the EPA’s ongoing Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) court proceedings with Barro.
“We’re committed to updating the community when we’re in a position to,” she said.
Local resident Nicole Power, who has experienced adverse health effects from odour at the site for years, said she felt devastated at the meeting “…because I had a feeling that this company is going to win and the EPA is going to cave…I don’t think this landfill is going to close down.”
“[The EPA] were outlawyered in the criminal case and I think they’ve been outlawyered in the VCAT hearing.”
As previously reported by Star Weekly, the EPA dropped criminal charges against Barro in July for its mismanagement of the Kealba landfill.
At the meeting, the EPA provided updates about an environmental audit of the site that was recently carried out by an independent auditor.
According to the EPA, the auditor determined the site to be low-risk and manageable at this time.
The EPA added a caveat that risks at the site aren’t difficult to manage as the site is not currently in operation.
