Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) has laid six charges each against a company and four of its directors after investigating the discharge of untreated washdown waters into a tributary of Campbells Creek from the company's Don KR Castlemaine site.
The company charged is George Weston Foods Limited.
The charges allege that the company;
• Contravened a condition of the company's licence to operate, which requires the licence holder to ensure that waste is not discharged, emitted or deposited beyond the boundaries of the premises;
• Dumped, deposited, discarded or abandoned industrial waste at a place not licensed to accept it;
• Polluted the waters of a tributary of Campbell's Creek so that the condition of those waters was so changed as to make, or be reasonably expected to make, those waters harmful or potentially harmful to the health, welfare, safety or property of human beings;
• Polluted the waters of a tributary of Campbell's Creek so that the condition of those waters was so changed as to make, or be reasonably expected to make, those waters poisonous, harmful or potentially harmful to animals, birds, wildlife, fish or other aquatic life;
• Polluted the waters of a tributary of Campbell's Creek so that the condition of those waters was so changed as to make, or be reasonably expected to make, those waters poisonous, harmful, or potentially harmful to plants or other vegetation; and
• Polluted the waters of a tributary of Campbell's Creek so that the condition of those waters was so changed as to make, or be reasonably expected to make, those waters detrimental to any beneficial use made of those waters.
The charges relate to criminal offences under sections 27, 27A and 39 of the Environment Protection Act 1970.
EPA guidelines regarding licence management, wastewater guidance for industry and how to prevent water pollution from your business are available at www.epa.vic.gov.au
