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Land

Page content: Contaminated land | Waste management | Landfills | Biosolids | Effluent disposal | Cleaning up after a bushfire

Contaminated land

Contaminated land is often a legacy of our industrial past when the community’s awareness about the need to protect the environment was much lower than it is today.

Managing Risks Associated with Land Contamination: Guidance for Councils

When soil contains elevated levels of metals or other substances, it does not automatically mean a human health risk exists.

However, there is heightened public awareness of the potential for soil contamination, especially in areas where children stay or play. To manage these situations consistently, effectively and transparently, councils should develop policies and procedures specific to their municipality to deal with potentially contaminated sites. Careful planning and early community engagement are essential.

These guidelines provide the tools to assist your council in developing a policy and procedure for effectively managing contaminated sites.

Adobe Acrobat icon Managing Risks Associated with Land Contamination: Guidance for Councils (613kb, pdf)

DHS held a seminar/workshop on 4 December 2006, which was based on the guideline document 'Managing Risks Associated with Land Contamination: Guidance for Councils'. The following are copies of the speakers' presentations, including an introductory summary for the session.

Adobe Acrobat icon Managing Risks Associated with Land Contamination seminar introduction (41kb, pdf)

MS Powerpoint icon EPA Regulatory Framework - Jean Meaklim and Chris McAuley (122kb, MS Powerpoint)

MS Powerpoint icon Potentially Contaminated Land & the Planning System - Denise Turner (119kb, MS Powerpoint)

MS Powerpoint icon City of Yarra, A Council Case Story - Chris Court (536kb, MS Powerpoint)

Adobe Acrobat icon Overview of the Environmental Site Assessment Process - Luke Cattlin (667kb, pdf)

Soil Assessment in Children’s Services
Available from the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development website.

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Health risk assessment

The enHealth Council has developed National Guidelines for assessing health impact and health risk.

Adobe Acrobat icon enHealth Guidelines for assessing health impact (389kb, pdf)
This document is available from the enHealth Council web site

Adobe Acrobat icon enHealth Guidelines for assessing health risk (1100kb, pdf)
This document is available from the enHealth Council web site

Mine tailings & arsenic

Many towns and cities in Victoria have been built in areas with a history of gold mining. Mine tailings that contain arsenic are spread over large areas of land, including land now used for housing. This booklet contains information for people who live in such areas. It gives information on what you need to know and actions you can take to protect your family's health.

Adobe Acrobat icon Arsenic and Health - Are you Living in an Area with Mine Tailings? (342kb, pdf)

Waste management

The following site contains information about waste management.

Environment Protection Authority
The Environment Protection Authority provides extensive information about the management of waste in Victoria.

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Landfills

Landfills play an important and significant role in waste management infrastructure in Victoria. The Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) is responsible for licensing and monitoring of landfills in Victoria (except municipal landfills for populations less than 500) under the provisions of the Environment Protection Act 1970. Landfills must adopt, where possible, current best-practice procedures to ensure that the surrounding environment and communities are protected.

Further information on landfills can be found on:
http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/waste/landfill.asp

Lyndhurst Landfill and Dandenong South Industrial 2 Zone - September 2011 update

As a result of community concerns surrounding the Lyndhurst Landfill and Dandenong South Industrial 2 Zone, the Department of Health undertook a health assessment into concerns that emissions from the landfill and the industrial zone have resulted in an increase in illness within the local community. The assessment included analysis of existing health information on residents in and around Dandenong South.

Overall, the results of the health assessment provide no evidence that living in the area nearby the Lyndhurst landfill and the Dandenong South industrial zone has led to an increase in either cancer incidence or pregnancy and birth abnormalities. The full health assessment report and Executive summary are available for download below.

Download documents:

  Dandenong South and Lyndhurst health assessment: Full report, September 2011
  Dandenong South and Lyndhurst health assessment: Executive summary, September 2011

Translated resources:

  Dandenong South and Lyndhurst health assessment: Executive summary - Albanian
  Dandenong South and Lyndhurst health assessment: Executive summary - Dari
  Dandenong South and Lyndhurst health assessment: Executive summary - Russian

For further information about the assessment: http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/projects/Dept-of-Health.asp

Tullamarine Landfill - June 2011 update

The Tullamarine landfill (often referred to as the ‘Cleanaway landfill’) is located in a former stone quarry in Western Avenue, Tullamarine within the City of Hume. The landfill is next to Melbourne Airport with the residential suburbs of Attwood, Tullamarine, Gladstone Park and Westmeadows within a 3 km radius. The landfill operated from 1973 to 2008 and was used for liquid and solid industrial wastes until 1987.  The site is currently being rehabilitated.

In 2006, the Department of Human Services coordinated the following investigation with input from the Victorian Perinatal Data Collection Unit, Consultative Council on Obstetric and Paediatric Mortality and Morbidity and the Cancer Council Victoria.

Adobe Acrobat icon Investigating health concerns in populations living near the Cleanaway landfill in Tullamarine - Short technical report (279kb, pdf)

Adobe Acrobat icon Investigating health concerns in populations living near the Cleanaway landfill in Tullamarine - Public information sheet (226kb, pdf)

As a result of community concerns, the EPA commissioned Cancer Council Victoria to undertake a further study using data from the Victorian Cancer Registry, the Australian Cancer Database and the National Death Index.

For further information on Tullamarine landfill:
http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/waste/Tullamarine-landfill.asp

Tullamarine Landfill – Community Health and Environment Report, 2011:
http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/waste/docs/Tulla/Final-Report.pdf

Executive Summary:
http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/waste/docs/Tulla/Tulla-Exec-Summary.pdf

Biosolids

The following site contains information about biosolids.

Environment Protection Authority
The Environment Protection Authority has developed guidelines for treatment and use of biosolids. The Department of Human Services contributed to the development of these guidelines by setting standards to ensure that public health was protected from the reuse of biosolids.

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Effluent disposal - Septic tanks code of practice

The following site contains information about septic tanks.

Environment Protection Authority
The Environment Protection Authority has produced a Septic tanks Code of Practice

Cleaning up after a bushfire

Houses, sheds and other buildings or structures that are burnt in a bushfire can leave potential health hazards in the remaining rubble, ash and debris.

Adobe Acrobat icon Cleaning up after a bushfire (34kb, pdf)

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Last updated: 20 September, 2011
This website is managed and authorised by Environmental Health Unit, Health Protection Branch, Wellbeing, Integrated Care and Ageing Division of the Department of Health, Victorian State Government, Australia

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