UPDATE TUESDAY 1 JANUARY, 2019
As business returns to normal following the Christmas and New Year break, Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) officers are preparing to visit local businesses which neighbour four sites in Epping and three in Campbellfield identified as operating illegal storage for high volumes of chemicals.
The illegal chemical storage sites were discovered during a joint agency investigation on Friday 28 December 2018. EPA is withholding the addresses for legal and security reasons but will ensure direct contact with local stakeholders.
The waste is contained and there is no immediate risk to the community. However, security staff will continue to maintain a 24-hour presence and EPA has deployed and is operating mobile air quality monitoring devices as a precautionary measure.
EPA, Hume City Council and Whittlesea Council are jointly engaging with local stakeholders, service providers and industry to build local understanding of the issue.
EPA estimates it could take several weeks to identify and quantify all the chemicals given the number and size of the containers involved.
BACKGROUND
Around the clock security remains on the site of Friday’s discovery of illegally stored chemical waste in Devon Ct, Epping, and at three sites in Campbellfield.
Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) is part of an inter-agency working group assessing the situation and preparing staged risk reduction actions at the sites.
Hume and Whittlesea Councils, EPA, WorkSafe and a range of other local and state based agencies are working in partnership to secure and monitor the site, engage local stakeholders and commence a process to reduce risks at the site over the coming weeks.
The waste was discovered during targeted inspections of industrial sites by EPA, fire agencies, Victoria Police and WorkSafe.
The inspections were the result of EPA’s investigative work following leads in the wake of the West Footscray warehouse fire in August.
The inspections detected concerning amounts of liquid chemical waste stored within warehouses at several sites.
EPA will not be commenting further on the ongoing investigation, but will continue providing updates on the management of the sites, and contacting the local community, businesses and other key stakeholders in proximity to the sites.
All of the agencies are working closely together in a whole of government response, placing priority on preventing harm to the community and the environment from pollution and waste.