Stony Creek flooded with toxins from West Footscray fire

IT COULD take up to a decade to re-establish waterways across Melbourne’s inner-west after a toxic fire earlier this month.

IT COULD take up to 10 years to re-establish waterways across Melbourne’s inner-west flooded with toxins following the West Footscray fire earlier this month.

Devastated environmental groups in the inner-west have spoken of their horror after test results from a water analysis conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revealed a range of industrial chemical solvents, detergents and fire soot particles — some of which are found in fuels and oils were washed into Stony Creek.

Stony Creek runs through the western suburbs of Sunshine, Tottenham, Brooklyn, Footscray West, Yarraville and Spotswood.

EX-TENANT SAYS WEST FOOTSCRAY BLAZE NOT HIS FAULT

FOOTSCRAY BLAZE SPARKS MEMORIES OF MELBOURNE’S WORST FIRES

FOOTSCRAY INFERNO BUSINESS NOT REGISTERED FOR CHEMICAL USE

Friends of Stony Creek president Steve Wilson said the group had spent 25 years cultivating the environment and its surrounds, all of which has copped severe damage.

“It’s been a dreadful event, we have to re-establish the whole ecosystem now — which could take up to 10 years,” he said.

Smoke from a West Footscay fire billows across Melbourne’s west. Picture: Ben Schubert

Firefighters working at the West Footscray factory fire. Picture: Nicole Garmston

A number of booms, pumps and tankers have been installed to capture pollutants.

PUBLIC WARNED TO AVOID CONTACT WITH CREEK

The EPA has since issued warnings to the public to avoid contact with the immediate area of the Stony Creek waterway, including Cruickshank Park and at the mouth of the creek which leads to the Yarra River.

“The chemicals in some cases exceed human health recreational contact guidelines and so the advice is for people to avoid contact with the water and not to consume fish,” EPA Incident Controller Marleen Mathias said.

Scores of dead fish and aquatic life were found scattered across Port Phillip Bay beaches.

Modelling showed the contaminated water could reach as far as Brighton.

Friends of Maribyrnong Valley spokesman Tony Smith, who went to Stony Creek the day after the blaze, said the water had never looked more grim.

“It’s ecologically dreadful and locally devastating, it’s basically exterminated everything,” Mr Smith said.

“You couldn’t see through the water at all, it was densely dirty.”

The clean-up continues with the EPA monitoring air and water quality levels.

Victoria Police are working alongside the MFB in regards to the suspicious circumstances of the fire.

MORE NEWS

LANEWAY FESTIVAL SET TO SHIMMY UPRIVER TO FOOTSCRAY PARK

HIGHPOINT DOLLAR STORE ORDERED TO RECALL PRODUCTS