Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) will take the unusual step of taking local advertising space and calling for the local community to help solve who is behind the chemical dumping that polluted Dandenong Creek last weekend (19 May).
Advertising will appear in local newspapers, local businesses will be approached and a social media campaign will ask the local community if they have seen or suspect businesses or individuals of being involved.
“The community, including workers in industrial precincts, are our best eyes and ears and any new information could go a long way to finding the perpetrator,” said EPA Executive Director Regional Services Directorate Damian Wells.
“The number of businesses potentially involved in such an industrialised area, the fact that this appears to be a deliberate act and one conducted under cover of darkness, adds to the difficulty of getting a swift result,” said Mr Wells.
“If you have information about the Dandenong Creek incident, or a similar incident that happened on 22 May at Ferny Creek in Ferntree Gully, we want to know. You can report anonymously by calling 1300 EPA VIC (1300 372 842).”
Since November 2017, EPA has been investigating ongoing pollution reports at Dandenong Creek, most relating to foamy water in and around the creek.
In response to pollution reports, EPA has conducted 33 inspections in Bayswater, Ferntree Gully and the surrounding area where drainage leads from these sites to Dandenong Creek. In the course of the investigations, EPA has issued three remedial notices to premises, and though they may not be the cause of the foam incident, still have the potential to discharge contaminants to stormwater.
“If we believe an organisation has created pollution we issue a remedial notice to fix the problem. Non-compliance means a penalty of up to $7,929 and there is always potential action through the court system which can carry far higher penalties and costs,” said Mr Wells.
Mr Wells said they were following strong leads regarding the source of the Ferny Creek pollution event, which was initially identified via social media yesterday (22 May), would be found, but he still wanted to hear from the public.
“We’re continuing our investigations and working with local groups such as First Friends of Dandenong Creek, Melbourne Water and Knox City Council, but the more help we get from the community the better the likely outcome will be.”
EPA urges members of the public to continue to report suspected pollution to the EPA on 1300 EPA VIC (1300 372 842) or at www.epa.vic.gov.au