Preliminary monitoring for groundwater pollution conducted by Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) in Sunshine yesterday has shown no immediate risk to the local community.
EPA Authorised Officers, using handheld monitors, detected only very low levels of contaminants at the former Sunshine Harvester site, which can likely be attributed to vehicle movements in the area.
EPA Regional Services Executive Director Damian Wells said that while the preliminary results were positive, EPA was also carrying out more extensive monitoring.
“EPA Authorised Officers are also collecting 24-hour samples at six locations at the site to confirm EPA’s preliminary findings,” Mr Wells said.
“These samples could take several weeks to analyse, but as soon as the results are known, EPA will inform the community.”
EPA began investigating all potential sources of groundwater pollution in the Sunshine area last year in response to community concerns.
Residents wanting more information or who have any concerns are invited to call EPA on 1300 372 842.
Read EPA’s groundwater monitoring in Sunshine Q&A – PDF (189KB) Word (22KB).