The clean-up and remediation project continues at Lemon Springs in Victoria’s northwest, about 15 kilometres south of Kaniva.
The Victorian Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has been working on the rural property since July 2018, when a large illegal industrial waste dump was reported by Victoria Police.
The EPA took control of the site in December 2019, and the following March, charged the property owner with 118 offences under the Environment Protection Act 1970.
Along with principal contractor Enviropacific, the EPA has removed waste from 26 of 32 sites on the property, and backfilled 11 areas with clean soil.
Workers are still excavating large numbers of acetylene cylinders – widely used in welding and fabrication – with more than 30,000 removed to date. The EPA is investigating disposal pathways for these cylinders.
A wastewater treatment plant has been commissioned on the site to treat contaminated water for reuse. Contaminated soil treatment also continues on the site, allowing soil to be remediated for reuse and avoiding the need for disposal in landfill.
The project is expected to be completed by mid-2023, with the EPA providing ongoing progress updates.
For more information, visit: www.epa.vic.gov.au/lemonsprings
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