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Council Seeks Urgent Meeting With Premier - "MAKE YOUR PLANS CLEAR" Wellington Shire Council is demanding written assurance from the Premier of Victoria that Dutson Downs will not become a long-term storage facility for hazardous waste, and that dangerous materials such as organochlorides will not enter this region. By Wellington Shire Council - 25th August 2003 - Back to News As community concern continues over plans to make Dutson Downs a contaminated soil-recycling site, Council is seeking an urgent meeting with the Premier to ensure that it will not become a dumping ground for untreatable waste.
The Victorian Government has named Dutson Downs, 25 kilometres south of Sale, as the location for a $5.35 million contaminated soil-recycling plant, where low-level contaminated soils will be treated for re-use.
Major Projects Minister, The Hon. Peter Batchelor has "ruled out also using the Dutson Downs site for a high-tech containment storage centre for dangerous materials such as arsenic, chromium, oxide, mercury and asbestos" - as quoted in The Age (19/07/03).
But Gippsland Water in its 2001 submission to the Government titled "Expression of Interest Soil Treatment and Recycling" mooted plans for further stages of development. "Phase two" of the project was proposed to provide a short-term repository and store hazardous waste and soil residuals until new treatment technologies are developed. "Phase three" was proposed to develop a long-term containment facility for dangerous, untreatable materials.
Dutson Downs is located in the Heart of Gippsland and there are fears material brought to the site could cause long-term damage to the nearby Gippsland Lakes and internationally significant wetlands. There are also safety concerns regarding the close proximity of a RAAF bombing range.
Wellington Shire Council Chief Executive Lyndon Webb said the Government had a responsibility to protect the region’s array of significant natural attractions for future generations. The area relied on tourism generated by the Gippsland Lakes and surrounding wetlands.
"We’ve made strong submissions to the Government and while we’re not pleased that Dutson Downs could potentially be used to treat contaminated soils, they continue to assure us the materials being treated will be a very low-grade hazard and that they will not be harmful to our community or our environment" he said.
"We want a firm commitment that there will be no phase two and no phase three, and that Dutson Downs will not become a place where untreatable toxic waste is sent for indefinite storage."
The Government’s hazardous waste strategy outlines plans to establish at locations yet to determined, short-term repositories to store hazardous waste until new treatment methods can be developed, and also long-term sites to contain more dangerous untreatable materials indefinitely. These plans appear to match the proposed "phase two" and "phase three" presented by Gippsland Water.
"Major Projects Minister Peter Batchelor has been in the media, assuring our residents that dangerous materials will not be brought into Dutson Downs, and that Dutson Downs will not become a high-tech containment storage centre," Mr Webb said.
"We have been told Dutson Downs will only be short-term recycling facility for low-hazard waste; that soils will be brought into the area, treated and then transferred out again, and that they will not remain in our area long-term.
"We want that promise in writing from the Premier of Victoria, The Hon. Steve Bracks.
"There is no backing out, we will not accept anything less."
Council is seeking an urgent meeting with the Premier, as well as Planning and Environment Minister Mary Delahunty and Major Projects Minister Peter Batchelor seeking an order to Gippsland Water to remove from the current Dutson Downs proposal organochloride contaminated solids and any other substance of a toxic nature.
Council is also demanding confirmation in writing from the Premier that the Hazardous Waste Facilities stages two and three will not be built at Dutson Downs.
"The Government has promised us and our residents that Dutson Downs will not become a dumping ground for toxic waste," said Mr Webb.
"They have continually ruled out the storage of dangerous materials, and told us the plan is to treat and recycle soil of a low-level hazard.
"There is no opportunity to back away from that promise and we want it in writing, before Gippsland Water takes its plans any further."
Council has previously written to the Ministers Delahunty and Batchelor demanding an Environment Effects Study be undertaken at the Dutson Downs site before any development is undertaken.
Council claims sufficient research has not been completed to ensure there will be no detrimental effects on the local environment.
"The Government has not yet defined the specific nature of treatment processes proposed to be undertaken at Dutson Downs," he said.
"How can they be sure of the effects, when their research is based on so many assumptions?"
"The Government is acting irresponsibly and inappropriately and should not go ahead with any plans for hazardous waste treatment until it has fully investigated the possible effects."
Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: news@gippsland.com
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