Casey counts methane cost

ONE year on from the methane gas drama, Casey Council is confident it has taken the necessary steps to restore living conditions in Brookland Greens Estate.
Costs of works since September last year – when dangerous levels of methane were found in some of the estate’s homes – to December this year, are expected to amount to $36 million.
The council has completed a multi-million dollar ‘deep wall’, committed thousands of dollars to improvements and carried out mitigation works to 350 houses.
The council has also waived rates in 2009/2010 for residents in the Brookland Greens Estate.
Despite this, more than500 residents have joined aclass action against Casey Council.
City of Casey mayor Geoff Ablett said the recently completed $11 million deep wall along the northern and western boundaries of the Stevensons Road closed landfill was a barrier to the movement of leachate and gas between the site and Brookland Greens estate.
The council has also committed $300,000 in 2009-10 to execute a range of projects as part of a revised masterplan, which was fast-tracked earlier this year.
Further works on other landfills are expected to start this month and be completed by December 2010.
“Uneven settlement of the surface of the site occurs over time as the waste in the landfill decomposes. As a result, the cap will be re-profiled and resealed,” Cr Ablett said.
“In conjunction with works to reshape the cap, thegas extraction system will be finalised with the installationof a main collection pipearound the inside of the site boundary.”