Elsie Lange
It cost $132 million to establish the Bulla Hi-Quality processing facility to test contamination levels in the soil from the West Gate Tunnel Project (WGTP), yet none of the million tonnes transferred so far has been found to be toxic.
Residents’ anxiety was high about the potential for the spoil to contain industrial chemicals, like PFAS, but so far, the decontamination site has found PFAS remains below “permitted” levels.
Sunbury Against Toxic Soil Facebook group founder Chris O’Neill said the community was concerned it would start to see “considerable volumes” of spoil that is contaminated over the next two thirds of tunnelling.
“Right now, the two tunnel boring machines are digging under residential areas, so one would expect the soil to be clean – people are living on top of it,” Mr O’Neill said.
“I would expect over the next couple months, [as the boring moves] over the other side of Yarraville towards more industrial areas, we’ll start to see more contaminated spoil come into Bulla.”
The Hi-Quality site began receiving the spoil in March.
WGTP acting chief executive Peter Lellyet said it was always expected the soil PFAS levels would be low and at levels that could be “managed to protect the community”.
“The Hi-Quality site was built to ensure a conservative approach and has measures in place to ensure people and the environment are kept safe,” Mr Lellyet said.
“The amounts of PFAS detected in soil that has gone to Hi-Quality from the WGTP has been very low and less than the permitted levels.
“We regularly publish information on test results on the [Environment Protection Authority] website.”
Mr O’Neill said if more extensive testing and engagement had been carried out, a facility the size of Bulla might not have been necessary, and residents may have been more open to the Hi-Quality facility.
“Had all the relevant departments engaged proactively with the community, maybe the community would have been more open knowing that the majority of the spoil coming was going to be clean fill.”
In May, The Victorian Ombudsman condemned the EPA over the handling of the dumping of WGTP spoil into the western suburbs, including the Hi-Quality site at Bulla.
