by Cam Lucadou-Wells
An allegedly contaminated soil works in Bangholme’s Green Wedge has been deserted following shut-down orders from authorities.
Heavy trucks and diggers have largely vacated the paddocks at 576 Frankston-Dandenong Road, leaving behind a giant soil mound and piles of rubble.
More than 500 residents at Willow Lodge retirement village live 400 metres to the north.
Several fear that the soilworks operator ESI Projects Pty Ltd has ‘cut and run’ and left them at risk of toxic wind-blown soil dust during summer.
Residents asked a 9 December council meeting when and if the contaminated soil – found to contain asbestos and heavy metals – will be removed.
Greater Dandenong Council and Environment Protection Authority issued shut-down and clean-up notices to ESI Projects Pty Ltd last month.
In a joint statement recently, they insisted there was no public health risk due to the “low level” asbestos contamination and “long distance” to neighbouring homes.
EPA southern metropolitan regional manager Viranga Abeywickrema said its two Environmental Action Notices require the operator to cease accepting excavated material at the site and to remove contaminated waste soil by 28 February.
“The operator remains responsible under the Environment Protection Act 2017 and the two EANs.
“EPA is continuing investigations in line with its Compliance and Enforcement Policy.
“The cost of the removal of any contaminated waste soil is a matter for the operator.”
Greater Dandenong Council recently stated it was taking action due to a breach of the earthworks planning permit.
It had recently been insisting the property owner and contractors were “continuing to follow directions.”
This week, the council stated it could not share further details of its enforcement actions at this time due to the ongoing investigation and privacy laws.
In August, the EPA had issued a notice to investigate a towering soil stockpile with alleged Category-D “low-level contamination” with toxic asbestos and heavy metals.
This was in alleged breach of the operator’s EPA licence to accept clean-fill soil only.
It ordered the operator to “cordon off” the pile and remove the affected soil to a licensed landfill.
Late last month, the EPA issued a second Non-Disturbance notice over a second waste pile containing a “small amount of construction and demolition waste”.
Some fragments were being sampled and analysed for potential asbestos.
Meanwhile, works have also stopped at a waste-water and soil transfer station at the same address, with its operator GND Civil Group lodging a VCAT appeal for a permit.
In September, Greater Dandenong Council cited 19 grounds for refusing a permit for operation taking in about 20,000 litres of slurry a month.
GND Civil has been operating the soil transfer station for several years, with the council refusing two permit applications in 2022 and this year.
