Caltex Australia Petroleum Pty Ltd and Contract Resources Pty Ltd have been fined after 6,000 litres of diesel was released onto land and a small amount into a stormwater drain which is a tributary of the Yarra River.
On the morning of 4 May this year, Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) officers attended the Caltex site at 100 The Strand, Spotswood after Caltex self-reported the incident. It is a condition of their licence that they must provide information about such incidents immediately.
The officers found a 5metre by 4metre patch of ground soaked in what appeared to be diesel fuel around a pipe leading to a stormwater drain which flowed down to the nearby tributary of the Yarra River. They observed that booms had already been deployed which appeared to have captured most of any outflow.
“Despite their quick reaction to contain the spill, Contract Resources and Caltex could have prevented it from happening by conducting appropriate pre-start checks of the vehicle that was involved in the process leading to the incident. A fine of $7,773 is appropriate under the circumstances,” said EPA Metro Manager Peter Kerr .
Diesel impacted soil has since been excavated from the incident area and disposed of appropriately.
Mr Kerr said EPA was vigilant for incidents like this and acted quickly to give the community confidence that they were being protected.
“We continue to monitor the Caltex sites and others like it and will act swiftly if there are any breaches,” said Mr Kerr.
He encouraged people locally to also be vigilant and to call EPA if they thought there could be pollution issues locally on 1300 372 842 (1300 EPA VIC).