Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) has fined Macedon Ranges Shire Council $7,929 for exceeding leachate levels from its closed Lancefield Landfill.
The council had already received official warnings for leachate – liquid which leaches from landfill and may contain harmful substances and elevated concentrations of materials – exceeding the legal level at both its closed Lancefield and Kyneton landfills.
Reporting on the Lancefield site found leachate levels had exceeded the legal level since January 2017 and council had not completed leachate extraction since May 2017.
EPA visited the site in May this year and site representatives said they were aware of the high leachate levels and were attempting to reduce them.
EPA North West Regional Manager Scott Pigdon said leachate was occurring near Deep Creek and had the potential to affect groundwater.
“There is significant likelihood that continued exceedance of leachate levels could result in ground water or surface water contamination,” he said.
“There are several groundwater bores in use down from the site, so we want this issue addressed as soon as possible.
“All councils – as all businesses and residents do – must comply with the EPA, not just because it is the law, but because the regulations are vital to protecting the environmental and public health of the state and safe-guarding them for future generations.”
The closed Lancefield Landfill is managed by an EPA Post-Closure Pollution Abatement Notice.
Under the Environment Protection Act 1970 and the Infringements Act 2008, Macedon Ranges Shire Council has the right to have the $7,929 fine reviewed or have the matter determined by a court.
The public is urged to report environmental concerns to the EPA’s 24-hour pollution hotline 1300 EPA VIC (1300 372 842).