We're beginning to make Wangara Reserve safer for public use by managing contamination and putting a protective cap over the old landfill. This is part of our plan to clean up the site and meet environmental requirements from the EPA.
The engineered cap is designed to direct water away from the centre to ensure the water falling on the surface is directed away from the landfill layers. To help remediate the site, we're using soil excavated from the Yalukit William Nature Reserve wetlands project site. The soil is being tested before being transferred, and truck movements in the local area may be noticeable in October.
The remediation design requires the removal of 32 trees. Of these, 9 are assessed as structurally unsound or in poor health. The remaining trees are located within the existing contaminated perimeter bund and their root systems will be impacted during reengineering works. Where possible, trees and branches will be retained to be reused as habitat.
Through coordinated efforts and targeted design modifications, we've reduced the number of healthy trees requiring removal by approximately 75%. We're working closely with both independent and Council arborists, the remediation design consultant, and the construction contractor to explore all options for further tree retention.
We're installing a Bronzewing habitat fence and shaded cloth in the reserve's south-west corner before commencing construction to protect their ground and low branch habitat.
We will continue to monitor emissions using existing bores for at least 2 years after we complete the capping.
Works are scheduled to commence on Monday 29 September and will take up to 7-months, weather permitting. Works are scheduled Monday to Friday, between 7am to 5pm. Construction vehicles are accessing the site via Talinga Road, and standard construction noise disruptions are anticipated.
