By Sarah Schwager
BROOKLAND Greens residents should be on the sniff-out for the smell of rotten eggs as safety works continue at a nearby landfill.
The City of Casey has warned residents near the old landfill site at Stevensons Road in Cranbourne to take care in confined spaces and ventilate any areas where gas is smelt.
Since the closure of the landfill in June 2005, the council has been working closely with the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) to monitor any escape of gases from the site.
City of Casey engineering and environment services manager David Richardson said some gas had recently been detected in a small number of stormwater and electrical power pits in the Brookland Greens estate.
Mr Richardson said the council responded immediately by working with the electrical power supplier to seal off the affected electrical pits to stop the gas from migrating into electrical meter boxes or houses, as well as installing grates on the affected stormwater pits to disperse the gas.
“These measures have satisfied the EPA approved independent auditor as an appropriate response,” he said.
Mr Richardson said methane and carbon dioxide gases were only a concern if they collected in confined spaces and there was no imminent danger of an explosion if the gases were dissipated into the air.
He urged Brookland Greens residents to ventilate any areas where gas was smelt.
“Methane itself is odourless but is usually associated with other gases which have an odour similar to rotten eggs,” he said.
Mr Richardson said if they smell gas, residents should open windows or turn on a fan and then contact the council immediately on 9705 5200 or 0418 536 856.
The council is continuing to monitor the electrical and stormwater pits within a 250-metre radius of the Brookland Greens Estate on a weekly basis and will continue to advise all residents adjacent to any pits where the gas is located.
Council is also drilling extra gas extraction wells to increase the gas extraction within the site and further reduce any chance of gas escaping.
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