Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) has issued Melbourne Water with a notice requiring it to manage the risk of asbestos contamination in Stony Creek and abutting land.
The notice, the third issued since November, covers the area of the creek from the Laurel Street Bridge in St Albans to where the creek enters the Yarra River.
EPA CEO Nial Finegan said the notice was a result of ongoing work by EPA in the catchment since it was notified that traces of asbestos had been detected in sediments dredged from Stony Creek.
Detected asbestos is not in a respirable form and air monitoring confirmed asbestos was below detectable limits. Independent testing has advised that the risk to human health is negligible to low.
“EPA’s initial response was to ensure Melbourne Water was managing any potential risks from recently dredged stockpiles and this resulted in two separate notices,” Mr Finegan said.
“Melbourne Water has been proactive in managing the issue and has complied with one notice to remove a sediment stockpile from Cruickshank Park, Yarraville.
"Melbourne Water is also complying with a notice dealing with the management of sediment stockpile downstream from Francis Street Yarraville.
“The new notice complements the earlier work by requiring Melbourne Water to investigate all previous dredging activities in the catchment and to assess any risks from asbestos posed by the practice of reusing some of the dredged sediments on land abutting the creek.”
As part of an earlier notice from EPA, Melbourne Water has provided a list of other areas where dredged sediment has been placed.
Melbourne Water is now required to:
- Assess these areas to determine the level and extent of any contamination in these sediments previously dredged;
- Provide a human health risk assessment on risks posed by these sediments (incorporating location and contamination information), including recommendations for short-term and long term management;
- Provide a management plan for the ongoing management, reuse and/or disposal of disposal of any waste sediment. This management plan will need to reflect the results of the human health risk assessment and deal with historic, current and future dredging operations.
The notice requires that this work be completed by June 2015.