EPA has moved on to the final site of the Lemon Springs clean-up project.
Waste has now been removed from 30 of the 32 sites identified and 16 of them have been backfilled with clean soil.
More than 1,400 tonnes of liquid waste and 7,500 tonnes of contaminated soil has been removed from the site. More than 25,000 tonnes of contaminated soil have been discovered. Where possible soil is being dealt with at an onsite facility, once clean, it will be reused for backfilling.
Excavation of acetylene cylinders is also continuing, with more than 43,000 cylinders removed to date. A new industry to treat, remediate and dispose of the cylinders will be established in Stawell in an Australian first. Enviropacific was the successful bidder for the new disposal facility following a national tender process with their first task to manage the Lemon Springs cylinders. They will create Australia's first built-for-purpose, end-of-life acetylene cylinder treatment and disposal centre.
All excavation sites have been pumped dry and the water has been relocated to the evaporation dam. The onsite wastewater treatment plant has been turned off over this warmer period and has treated more than 2,400 kilolitres of wastewater to date.
Additional groundwater wells have been installed on the site in various locations to expand the monitoring network. No contamination to groundwater has been identified to date. EPA will continue to conduct regular sampling of groundwater and will keep the community updated with the results.
The clean-up is on track to be completed in the middle of 2023.
EPA is keen to hear from you, have your say and complete a short survey on the project here
For a further update on the site, view our latest progress video:
Staying informed
EPA's website is the best place to visit to stay up to date – www.epa.vic.gov.au/lemonsprings.
For a further update, view our latest progress video on the clean-up works: Lemon Springs December Update
