Benjamin Millar
Western suburb councils have slammed the state environmental watchdog’s decision to give the green light for toxic West Gate Tunnel soil to be treated in Ravenhall.
Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) announced on Friday it had approved an Environment Management Plan (EMP) for Cleanaway’s Spoil Management and Reuse Facility to accept and process the contaminated soil.
The proposed location of the facility is adjacent to Melbourne Regional Landfill in Ravenhall and is part of Cleanaway’s application to receive tunnel boring machine spoil from the West Gate Tunnel Project.
It follows recent approvals for dumping at Maddingley Brown Coal in in Bacchus Marsh and the Hi Quality site in Bulla.
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The door has been opened for toxic soil to be dumped in Bacchus Marsh following approval of an Environment Management Plan (EMP) for Maddingley Brown Coal.
The EMP was submitted by Western Soil Treatment (WST) as part of its application to receive tunnel boring machine spoil from the West Gate Tunnel Project.
Environment Protection Authority Victoria approved the plan today after determining there were appropriate measures to keep the environment and community safe.
EPA said it assessed the plan for potential environmental impacts, such as runoff, odour, and potential land, surface water and groundwater risks.
Under government regulations, the owner of a site bidding to receive the spoil must develop an EMP and comply with specific conditions including constructing an appropriate containment system and managing spoil appropriately, so risks are controlled.
Second site approved to take toxic soil from $6.7b West Gate Tunnel project
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Two Victorian landfills have now been approved to receive contaminated soil being dug up to build the $6.7 billion West Gate Tunnel.
Bacchus Marsh landfill site Maddingley Brown Coal is the latest to be approved by the Environment Protection Authority to receive huge amounts of rock and soil from the controversial project, which is running at least two years late and estimated by Treasury to be $3 billion over budget.
Work on the West Gate Tunnel has been delayed by a major dispute over how to deal with 3 million tonnes of contaminated soil.
Second site approved to take toxic soil from $6 7b West Gate Tunnel project brisbanetimes.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from brisbanetimes.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Jessica Micallef
Sunbury and Bulla residents are a step closer to having toxic soil from the West Gate Tunnel Project dumped in their backyard.
The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) approved waste management and recycling company Hi-Quality’s second Environment Management Plan (EMP) earlier this month. The decision paves the way for Hi-Quality to receive PFAS and asbestos-contaminated soil at the Sunbury Eco-Hub on Sunbury Road in Bulla.
The company’s original EMP was approved in September. However, Hi-Quality was invited by the EPA to resubmit an EMP in December, after a legal review into the regulator’s process resulted in all tenderers’ EMP approvals being revoked.