A cooking oil distribution company in Reservoir has been identified as the source of a recent spill that polluted nearby Edwardes Lake causing EPA Victoria to issue a warning for people to avoid contact with the water.
Odessa Oils receives bulk shipments of oils for decanting and redistribution to other outlets.
On Sunday 18 August, EPA received community reports of an oily substance in Edwardes Lake and sent officers to investigate. Melbourne Water also attended deploying booms to contain the spill and begin the process of removing it.
EPA officers conducted a ‘drain chase’ – a process of working backwards from the lake through the stormwater drain system to find a likely source.
“This can often take some time since drain systems are complex and network plans can be incomplete and inaccurate. We go literally from storm drain opening to storm drain opening to see where the last evidence of the spill is. From there, we’re able to see what likely sources there are in the area,” explained EPA Acting North Metropolitan Regional Manager Mark Bannister.
“Odessa Oils was inspected, and we found large volumes and bulk containers of oil in close proximity to stormwater drains, with no controls to stop spills entering the drain system. There were signs indicating that oils being stored at the premises had leaked into onsite stormwater drains, which contained oily residue similar to the pollution observed in Edwardes Lake.
“Odessa has been issued EPA notices to immediately clean up the drainage network down to the Lake, cease accepting oils until there is an appropriate storage area available and to remove the current oils being stored in areas with stormwater drains.
“By law, everyone has a role to play in protecting the environment. Businesses must understand they are part of that too. Odessa will be required to show they have complied with our notices, and we will be considering our next steps according to the EPA Enforcement and Compliance Policy.”
