Premier

Recovery Plan For Stony Creek

19 September 2018

The Andrews Labor Government will invest more than $1 million to restore Stony Creek following the factory fire in Footscray West in late August.

Minister for Water Lisa Neville and Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio announced the funding today, which will deliver a range of actions to clean-up the creek.

These actions include pumping 70 million litres of contaminated water out of the waterway, installing equipment to contain the contaminants and removing impacted wildlife.

The funding includes $700,000 for removal, disposal and remediation works at Cruickshank Park, Golf Course to Hyde Street, Paramount Road to Geelong Road and Francis Street to Golf Course.

It also includes $350,000 for water sampling, testing and monitoring by the EPA to determine the impact of the fire on the waterway. These findings will inform the final recovery plan.

This funding is in addition to the $600,000 already invested by Melbourne Water as part of the initial clean-up work already undertaken at Stony Creek.

The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Environment Protection Authority (EPA), and Melbourne Water are working with the Maribyrnong City Council to implement a long-term plan to help the waterway recover from the impacts of the fire.

As part of this process, agencies will work with key community stakeholders to establish a community reference group to monitor the progress of recovery works.

The EPA continues to monitor air and water quality in the affected areas and provide advice around the potential human health impacts. It has already spoken to more than 500 residents and letterboxed hundreds of homes in the area; officers will also be out again this week to hear from residents and answer questions.

This factory fire highlights the importance of the Labor Government’s Waterways of the West Action Plan – which will ensure waterways like Stony Creek and their parklands in Melbourne’s west are better protected.

Quote attributable to Minister for Water Lisa Neville

“We’re cleaning up the creek and returning it to the state it was before the fire. Critical works have already taken place to remove contamination and prevent the spread of contaminates – and we won’t stop until it’s all gone.”

Quote attributable to Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio

“We have been working closely with the EPA and other agencies since the incident to clean up this mess and keep people informed.”

Quote attributable to Member for Williamstown Wade Noonan

“We’ve listened to local communities and now we’re taking decisive action to repair the damage done to Stony Creek.”

Quote attributable to Member for Footscray Marsha Thomson

“We’re taking this matter very seriously and will continue to work with locals to ensure they have the information they need about repairs to the local waterway and to ensure we minimise any risks of this incident occurring again.”

Reviewed 19 August 2020

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