Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) is undertaking an investigation of a dairy effluent spill of up to 300,000 litres in Cloverlea, Gippsland.
EPA Gippsland Manager Emily Sanders said EPA officers attended the Cloverlea farm in response to a pollution report from the member of the public to its 1300 EPA VIC pollution hotline.
“Once at the site it was quickly apparent that a large spill – estimated to be up to 300,000 litres – of dairy effluent had escaped from a settling pond at the Cloverlea farm,” Ms Sanders said.
“Our investigation so far has found that the effluent, intended to be used for irrigation purposes, has come from a burst pipe in a paddock transporting the effluent from settling ponds to a traveling irrigator and made its way into an internal drain system,” Ms Sanders said.
“Unfortunately the effluent has then travelled about 1.5 kilometres into local stormwater drains and along a small creek that heads north towards Bona Vista Road,” Ms Sanders said.
Ms Sanders said EPA’s investigation would continue to focus on the clean-up of the effluent, the issuing of statutory notices to ensure clean-up occurred in an appropriate manner and the gathering of evidence to determine if an offence had occurred under the Environment Protection Act 1970.
“The evidence collection will include conducting sampling of the waterway and determining what impacts on the environment have occurred. EPA has also prioritised informing local stakeholders including local council, relevant water bodies in the area and surrounding farms of the incident,” Ms Sanders said.
EPA urges members of the public to continue reporting suspected pollution to the EPA on 1300 372 842 (1300 EPA VIC) or at www.epa.vic.gov.au