EPA investigates asbestos dumping within City of Ballarat, Hepburn Shire

The EPA is testing suspected asbestos dumps near Clunes after a farmer noticed patches of slurry near his property and confronted a local contractor.

Possible asbestos dumping sites on Cooks Rd, Tourello near Clunes. Picture: Contributed

The EPA is investigating suspected asbestos dumping north of Ballarat after a farmer noticed patches of slurry and contractors acting suspiciously near his property.

Patches of Cooks Rd, Tourello near Clunes have been cordoned off by the City of Ballarat and Hepburn Shire Council as the EPA tests for asbestos.

Farmer Ian Henderson-Drife said he noticed three loads of what he thought was septic waste dropped on the side of the road, the land on either side of which he owns, on October 4 as he was moving sheep.

Neighbours told him they noticed a truck and workers there the same day.

On Sunday as he was bringing sheep up the road on foot, Mr Henderson-Drife noticed five loads of seemingly dumped material.

“You could tell it was the waste out of a vat truck the way it’s been dumped,” he said.

A taped-off area of possibly hazardous material near Clunes. Picture: Contributed

Mr Henderson-Drife and others then “caught” workers in the area on Monday.

“They put a spotter car at the end of the road, the truck then comes in, and when the coast is clear it goes down over the hill.

“He was getting ready to dump, and then they’ve stopped because the City of Ballarat has put tape all around it.

“The contractor, when we busted him, he’s saying ‘I’ve been doing this since 2018’.

“Well, that’s an awful lot of dump sites. There’s a lot of asbestos dumped up back roads.”