A Korumburra woman has been fined more than $1,100 after the discovery of concrete slurry flowing into Foster Creek.
EPA Victoria investigated in June after receiving a pollution report from the public that the creek was heavily affected by white sludge coming from a stormwater drain.
Officers found the slurry consisted of concrete dust mixed with water. They traced the flow back to a business on Commercial St, Korumburra.
EPA Gippsland’s Environment Protection Team Leader Tania Lloyd says the potential effect on a creek, even from a common substance like concrete dust, can be quite destructive.
“Although the affected water would have moved on relatively quickly, cement dust dissolved in water produces an alkaline solution that can burn and kill the native fish, insects and plants that live there,” Ms Lloyd said.
“Every Victorian must remember that there is a connection between human actions and the health of our environment, and doing the wrong thing can turn a nice creek into a smelly drain,” she said.
EPA fined the woman $1,153 for depositing waste which was concrete slurry into the environment in a volume exceeding 50 litres but not exceeding 1,000 litres, a breach of Section 115 of the Environment Protection Act 2017.
“Along with specific breaches, the Environment Protection Act includes a General Environmental Duty that gives all Victorians a responsibility to take all reasonable steps to protect the environment,” Ms Lloyd said.
EPA investigates reports of pollution and conducts proactive inspections of industrial sites, and any Victorian can report pollution to EPA’s 24-hour hotline on 1300 372 842 or online at epa.vic.gov.au/report-pollution/reporting-pollution
