Maddingley Brown Coal receives tick-off for West Gate Tunnel soil
Hopes are growing for the West Gate Tunnel after a landfill site in Bacchus Marsh was approved to store contaminated dirt that has delayed the project.
Victoria
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A landfill site in Bacchus Marsh has received environmental approval to handle the toxic dirt that has delayed the West Gate Tunnel, with two locations now available to builders to fix the long-running saga.
Maddingley Brown Coal (MBC) on Tuesday received the tick-off from Environment Protection Authority Victoria and has already secured similar planning permissions.
The decision means the landfill site can legally store dirt dug up by the two massive tunnel boring machines that have been laying idle at the West Gate Tunnel site in Yarraville.
Transurban has pushed back the completion date for the project from 2022 to 2024 because there were no locations in Victoria that could handle the tunnelling dirt, contaminated with PFAS and asbestos, under current regulations.
Maddingley Brown Coal and Hi-Quality Group in Bulla now have both the necessary approvals to store the toxic soil but neither have yet signed a contract with the builders to get the process moving.
A MBC spokesman on Tuesday welcomed the announcement.
“The EPA’s approval, combined with our existing Planning Scheme Amendment approval, demonstrates that MBC’s management plans will meet the highest standards of environmental and community protection,” he said.
“MBC recognises there is community interest in our proposal and our robust approach to safely manage the excavated tunnel material has been adapted and strengthened after 12 months of engagement with the community, key stakeholders and regulators.
“While these approvals are an important step for MBC, there is an ongoing competitive tender process and our facility will only proceed if Western Soil Treatment is selected by the West Gate Tunnel Project’s builders, CPB John Holland.”
The Bacchus Marsh site has met with a backlash from community groups in the area, with regular campaigning from locals who do not want the soil stored in the area.
The community group had a win in the Supreme Court when it forced the EPA to wind back its conditional approvals for the site but this issue has now been resolved.
A government spokeswoman said the approval was one part of a process to select a site for the West Gate Tunnel’s dirt.
“EPA assessed the plan for potential environmental impacts, such as run-off, odour, and potential land, surface water and groundwater risks and has considered that there are appropriate measures detailed in the plan to keep the environment and community safe,” she said.
“The EPA’s approval sets strict requirements to protect the environment and the health of the community that these sites would have to meet if they are selected to take tunnel soil from the project
“The approval of an environmental management plan does not mark the final decision on where the spoil will be sent. The project is responsible for that decision.”
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Originally published as Maddingley Brown Coal receives tick-off for West Gate Tunnel soil
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