Ratepayers in Melbourne’s west are facing a bill of more than half a million dollars to remove and replace asbestos-contaminated mulch in public parks, an internal council document warns.
“This is a significant amount and above what was first estimated,” said the Hobsons Bay City Council memo, seen by The Age.
Parts of G.J Hosken Reserve, still behind temporary fencing this week.Credit: Wayne Taylor
The memo, which was circulated within the council last week, said the cost of removing and replacing the affected mulch from its parks was now forecast to be $550,000. In May, council officers estimated the total bill for reinstating parks “could be $200,000 to $220,000”.
After a local father found asbestos in a park in Hobsons Bay in April, the cancer-causing material has been identified in at least 11 parks across the council area.
Following months of investigation, testing by Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria has not confirmed any links with suppliers of recycled mulch.
Hobsons Bay council and the EPA have previously said the bonded asbestos pieces were “most likely” the result of illegal dumping or were there when the mulch was laid, in some cases years ago.
But with no definitive link to suppliers or contractors, the council says it will have to absorb the full remediation costs.
As of Tuesday, temporary fencing and yellow warning tape were still in place in sections of two parks in Altona North, Crofts Reserve and GJ Hosken Reserve.
In Spotswood, Donald McLean Reserve – the first park in which asbestos-contaminated mulch was found – and another play area re-opened to families on Friday after being off limits for three months.
The internal memo said $230,000 would be required to remediate Donald McLean Reserve alone because the EPA recommended all mulch be removed from that site.
“This was carried out, even though asbestos was only identified in contained locations within this reserve. Due to the extensive amounts of mulch that was required to be removed, the requirements for reinstatement have escalated above what was first [forecast],” it said.
But the EPA this week said while it had issued regulatory notices to the council requiring action, it “did not direct the complete removal of mulch”.
It reiterated its earlier statement that all asbestos-containing material found at parks across Hobsons Bay “presented a negligible health risk and in total filled less than a shopping bag”.
Asbestos material was found in tanbark along the Kororoit Creek in Altona North in April.Credit: Joe Armao
“Most sites were remediated by ‘emu picking’, that is carefully checking through potentially contaminated areas, in order that a certificate could be issued by an independent hygienist and the park reopened,” an EPA statement said.
A spokesperson for Hobsons Bay council said the final cost was not expected to be confirmed until the last site was remediated around mid-August.
“Due to the urgency of the situation, particularly at Donald McLean Reserve, the council did not have the opportunity to perform a cost-benefit analysis on alternative approaches beforehand,” they said.
The spokesperson said the cost was expected to be higher than previously estimated “due to significant reinstatement costs required at sites, including repairs to plants and infrastructure damaged during the removal process”.
At the May council meeting, director of infrastructure and city services Matthew Irving said the council was responsible for the land and all costs so far had been borne solely by the council.
He said that if the council could “clearly identify a connection with either a contractor or a supplier that has not fulfilled its contractual obligations, they would be looking to pursue recovery of costs accordingly”.
Hosken Reserve in Altona North, still fenced off this week.Credit: Wayne Taylor
Meanwhile, neither the EPA nor Hobsons Bay council have publicly named the suppliers of the mulch in the affected parks, but recent testing at those facilities found them to be free from contaminants.
Documents showing correspondence between the council and the EPA relating to the asbestos discoveries – obtained by The Age under freedom of information laws– had the names of suppliers and contractors redacted.
An email from the EPA to Hobsons Bay council in April also revealed that the agency did not believe a statewide audit of parks and reserves was feasible.
“A centrally managed audit program would be time and cost-prohibitive and not commensurate to the risk,” the email said.
“EPA’s current approach to regulate councils and public land managers in ensuring parks and reserves are free from contamination … is recommended as the best approach.“
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