EPA approves toxic soil for Hi Quality Bulla and Maddingley Brown Coal

Communities in Melbourne’s west are furious with an EPA decision to store toxic soil close to schools, homes and farms. And if the EPA thinks the fight is over, it’s in for a nasty shock.

A graphic showing how close the proposed toxic soil dumping site at Wyndham Vale is to homes, potential schools and the Werribee River. Picture: David Mullins

Families and farmers in Wyndham have reacted with anger to the Environment Protection Authority’s decision to allow toxic soil from the West Gate Tunnel Project to be stored at Maddingley and Bulla.

The decision, announced on Tuesday, follows a long fight by the community to stop the soil from being dumped near homes, schools and crops.

Environment Management Plans were approved for Maddingley Brown Coal near Bacchus Marsh and Hi Quality in Bulla to receive the spoil, believed to contain carcinogens including PFAS and asbestos.

This means the potentially deadly dirt could be unloaded just meters from Bacchus Marsh Grammar, a popular school that enrols children from many Wyndham families.

In a letter sent to families this week, and seen by the Leader, principal Andrew Neal vowed to fight the decision to store the soil at Maddingley to the bitter end.

He also levelled a scathing criticism at the lack of transparency surrounding what the dirt contained.

“Over the last six months the school has been working tirelessly on this issue, given both the proximity of MBC’s site from the Maddingley campus, and the lack of access to environmental and health reports obtained with regards to the spoil in question,” Mr Neal wrote.

“The school now has significant concern about the degree to which the EPA’s assessment report has been redacted, making a thorough analysis of its decision and rationale virtually impossible.

“However disappointing this result is, it is important to understand that the fight in relation to the overall decision on the location of the soil is not over.”

Wyndham’s Lisa Heinrichs said it could take up to a year for the Maddingley and Bulla sites to build appropriate containments to store the poisonous dirt.

The Wyndham community wanted an assurance in writing from Werribee state Labor MP Tim Pallas and Transport Minister Jacinta Allan that the soil would not be stored in Wyndham Vale in the meantime, she said, and families feared tainted dirt would blow onto neighbouring homes.

More than 2000 people protested in Werribee over the dumping of potentially dangerous soil in Wyndham Vale. Picture: David Mullins

“(We think) there’s lead, there’s mercury, there’s arsenic in this soil, it’s not just PFAS. And PFAS can’t be treated,” Ms Heinrichs said.

The proposed Wyndham Vale dumping ground is just metres from the Werribee River, 70m from houses and abuts planned housing developments and school sites.

Werribee South Ratepayers Association chair Dr Joe Garra, who speaks on behalf of local farmers, said farmers held grave concerns soil stored at Maddingley, close to the Parwan Creek which feeds into the Werribee River, would poison waterways and contaminate crops.

He said they were pushing for an assurance that regular testing would be conducted to ensure the water was safe.

This was an issue all of Victoria and Australia should be aware of, he said, considering Werribee and Bacchus Marsh farmers supplied more than half of the country’s broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce and cabbage.

“In theory none should get into the water if the site is secured properly,” Dr Garra said.

“We really need assurance that they are going to be monitoring these waterways, and we need transparency on the results of that monitoring.”

In a statement on the EPAs website, the regulatory body noted the potential environmental impact of storing soil at Maddingley and Bulla including run-off, odour and potential land, surface water and groundwater risks, were taken into account in making its decision.

It also noted that the approval of an EMP did not mean a final decision had been made on the dirt’s storage location.

“EPA will closely monitor these sites to make sure that they are complying with their EMP and best practice safety measures to protect the local community and environment,” the statement read.

A government spokesperson said in a statement the EPA’s decision was “a positive step” towards getting tunnelling work underway on the West Gate Tunnel project.

It also noted it was just “one step in a rigorous process” and planning approval was also needed.

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