FULL COUNCIL RESPONSE AT END OF STORY.A SCATHING report by the Victorian Auditor-General has found children and the elderly have been exposed to deadly chemicals and toxic vapours from contaminated land as a result of poor management by Maribyrnong Council and other state government agencies.
Auditor-General Des Pearson singled out Maribyrnong's management of two sites as part of his wider investigation of contaminated sites across the state.
The exact locations of the contaminated land were not identified.
Referring to one site, a privately owned quarry redeveloped for low-density housing - thought to be in Leigh Street, Footscray - the Auditor-General concluded the council and Environment Protection Authority showed lack of due diligence and duty of care in protecting the health of residents and the surrounding community.
Twenty-two homes near the site, including four still occupied by families with children, are contaminated with benzoapyrene and lead, the byproducts of fuel burning.
The chemicals pose health risks such as brain impairment, reduced intellectual development, and cancer.
According to the report, the council has known about the contamination since 1994 yet attempts to assess and clean-up the site in partnership with the EPA did not go ahead because the council was worried about litigation if its management regime proved inadequate.
"There is no management plan and no clean-up has occurred, hindered by there being no clarity around roles and responsibilities for the ongoing management," the report said.
"This has potentially resulted in long-term exposure to high levels of contaminants known to pose a health risk, particularly to children."
Work to clean up the site began only this year.
The second site mentioned in the report, also a former quarry site, has contaminated soil and toxic vapours. It is close to homes and on-site are two recreation centres: one used by old people and the other for outside school hours care.
However, the council has not told residents or users of the recreation centres about the risks because "there are no mandatory reporting requirements" and it "is not required to report the site to the EPA or any other agency".
In a statement, council chief executive Vince Haining said there were 89 former quarry sites that contained residential and industrial waste within the 32 square kilometres of the municipality.
Council-owned sites with sensitive uses, such as childcare centres, have been thoroughly investigated and the sites remediated or made safe for use. Soil testing is conducted whenever council develops public land. "Council does not possess the financial means to immediately investigate and remediate potentially contaminated sites across the city. Furthermore, it is not council's responsibility to cover the costs of remediating private land," he said.
Cr Catherine Cumming said there would not be a park in Maribyrnong if not for reclaimed quarries and landfills. She said the state government had increased the landfill levy paid by councils from $30 to to $44 per tonne, earning it millions in additional revenue.
"The state government needs to give us a greater share of our waste levy so we have the funds to be able to mitigate our risk and learn more about all the different sites and do testing. That would alleviate [the] risk to the community."
Environment Minister Ryan Smith said in a statement the EPA had been instructed to conduct a comprehensive 'contaminated environments review' and develop a risk management tool for contaminated sites.
FULL COUNCIL RESPONSE
RE: auditor-general’s report on contaminated sites
The City of Maribyrnong is one of the oldest areas of Melbourne and has a long history of industrial use stretching back over 100 years. Within the 32 square kilometres of the municipality there are 89 former quarry sites that contain residential and industrial waste.
Many of these old industrial sites were privately owned and have been redeveloped and on-sold by these private owners in past decades.
Council takes a proactive approach to managing former industrial and landfill sites and has joined with the MAV in advocating for a State-wide coordinated approach to managing contaminated sites and is advocating for assistance for Councils with a high number of contaminated sites.
Any Council-owned sites that are now used for sensitive uses such as child care centres have been thoroughly investigated and the sites remediated or made safe for use. Soil testing is conducted whenever Council develops public land.
Council does not possess the financial means to immediately investigate and remediate potentially contaminated site across the City. Furthermore, it is not Council’s responsibility to cover the costs of remediating private land. The owners of privately-held land are responsible for remediating their sites.
The sites mentioned in the Auditor-General’s report are known to Council, and Council is working closely with the EPA and environmental consultants to investigate and remediate these sites. Where there is a potential risk to health, Council has worked with the EPA to alert owners or occupiers of these sites, and to communicate plans for remediation work.
As noted in the report: “Since August 2011, Maribyrnong City Council has begun to collaborate with the EPA in an effort to move forward with managing issues associated with Site A.”
In regards to the site identified as Site E in the report, Council is currently undertaking a environmental assessment. This assessment will determine what remediation work, if any, needs to occur at the site. Any communication with surrounding residents will occur once the nature of the remediation work is known.
Council is committed to working with the EPA and DPCD to address management of contaminated sites across the City. Council is currently finalising a risk management approach to better align planning controls on development within the City to help manage and mitigate the risks of contaminated sites.
Vince Haining
City of Maribyrnong CEO
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