Soil contaminants are common across inner-city Melbourne due to the city's industrial history. Since the Gasworks Arts Park was once the site of the former South Melbourne Gasworks, certain areas are contaminated with the by-products of coal gas production.
The Victorian Government is managing the contamination investigations and associated works at Gasworks Arts Park. The good news is that the Victorian Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has deemed the site safe for ongoing use as a public park.
Recent groundwater investigations at the park identified several 'hot spot' areas of contamination. Further investigations are underway to determine if any work is needed to treat groundwater contamination.
A Contamination Management Action Plan (CMAP) includes groundwater investigations at the park and surrounds. To ensure a safe environment, further investigations of the site's contamination status will be conducted throughout 2021.
Look out for the finalised CMAP, which will be made available to the community for feedback in the second half of 2021.
Onsite works
A survey of the eastern portion of Gasworks Arts Park was undertaken in February 2021. The results of the survey helped to identify where historical gasworks infrastructure remains below the ground surface, where contamination is likely to be present.
