Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) has fined Bendigo company Ridley Agriproducts Pty Ltd more than $7,500 for polluting Back Creek, a tributary of Bendigo Creek.
EPA Executive Director of Regional Services Damian Wells said community reports of a pungent, oily red substance that spread about 400 metres along the creek had led to an EPA investigation in March.
“EPA officers were able to trace the pollution from the creek, through a stormwater system to the boundary of the company’s Charleston Road site,” Mr Wells said.
“Once on site EPA found the same odourous oily substance in the company’s underground drainage system that was detected at Back Creek.”
Mr Wells said water samples collected by EPA confirmed the discharge from Ridley Agriproducts was canola oil and this posed a risk to the local environment.
“EPA scientists advised us that this type of oil spilling into a waterway could have been dangerous to plant and aquatic life and also posed a risk to bird life,” Mr Wells said.
“While there was no damage to the environment found during EPA’s investigation, the odour from the oil spill and the visual impacts on the water in the creek certainly affected the local amenity.”
Mr Wells said EPA’s investigation had found the cause of the oily substance leaking into the stormwater system was a cracked PVC pipe.
“Although the company was unaware of the discharge, it did not have adequate controls in place to ensure that it didn’t happen. The company was also unaware of the exact alignments of its underground infrastructure pathways, which is why EPA fined the company under the Environment Protection Act 1970,” Mr Wells said.
“Every company needs to be well aware of the risks of its operations, particularly those aspects that may lead to a potential offsite spill and pollution of the local environment.”
Mr Wells said EPA had also issued Ridley Agriproducts with a pollution abatement notice that required the company to conduct a detailed risk assessment of its site operations and to ensure its infrastructure was modified to prevent pollution from the site occurring again.
“The company has now cleaned up its premises and the receiving waterways and is in the process of modifying its storm water infrastructure; clean-up of the spill was carried out with assistance from the City of Greater Bendigo, under the guidance of EPA officers,” Mr Wells said.
EPA encourages the community to continue reporting pollution to EPA on 1300 372 842 (1300 EPA VIC).