Recovery update
Published on 14 December 2018
Following this week’s heavy rainfall, the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) is advising residents of West Footscray, Kingsville and Yarraville that odour levels around Stony Creek may rise. EPA Principal Expert Inland Waters Leon Metzeling said the deluge will help flush any remaining contaminants through the system and would ultimately help the creek recover. Melbourne Water’s field crews are actively monitoring the creek are on standby, with Council, to respond to urgent requirements as required. Council staff have also been proactively preparing sandbags for known flooding areas.
Vegetation removal works continued this week with good progress made until the rain set in on Thursday. 70% of the vegetation has already been removed from the section between the fire site and Paramount Road. Further testing and assessment will be undertaken by EPA during and after the removal works to ensure the creek has been remediated to appropriate levels.
While completing the bi-weekly check of Stony Creek, Melbourne Water disappointingly came across five buckets of what appeared to be cooking oil in the water. Litter of this nature damages and negatively impacts wildlife living near and in our creeks. This also has adverse effects on the Recovery effort. We encourage everyone in the community to help look after our precious waterways and report incidents like this to the EPA.
The EPA this week, met with a concerned West Footscray resident to discuss Stony Creek water quality and contaminated sediments results. EPA is happy to receive queries from other residents living near to Stony Creek please contact EPA on 1300 372 842 or contact@epa.vic.gov.au
Melbourne Water is also encouraging local residents to let them know if any areas require immediate attention, as they continue working in locations along Stony Creek and not downstream of Paramount Road through Cruickshank Park.
A round of water and sediment sampling was conducted on 12 Dec at four locations along Stony Creek, as part of ongoing scheduled monitoring. Results are still pending for water and sediment sampling conducted in the last week of November. They are due this week and once these are received, the website will be updated.
EPA officers are continuing to inspect the fire site regularly, to monitor compliance with statutory notices and ensure appropriate management of risks.
The M102 Water Main Renewal Project has progressed past Roberts Street in Yarraville, and is currently in Charlotte Street West, moving towards Cruickshank Park. Regular updates are available on Melbourne Water’s website.