A Pearcedale company was hit with a $10,000 fine and the cost of the cleanup after dumping 37,000 litres of drilling sludge near the Ovens River in August.
EPA Victoria officers tracked down the offenders after receiving reports of a truck dumping sludge near Wangaratta, when they spotted the suspect vehicle on the road and watched while it dumped a load at a site on Oxley Flats Road.
They fined Ausconnect Underground Services Pty Ltd $10,176 for dumping industrial waste at a premises that was not licensed or equipped to accept it, in contravention of the Environment Protection Act 2017.
EPA Northeast Regional Manager Ben Kneebone said the fine was a warning to industry.
“This kind of pollution can be common in regional areas where there are large-scale projects underway,” he said.
“It might not be the action of the major company running the project, but they still run the risk of being held responsible for their contractors trying to cut corners with industrial waste.
“In this case, the drilling sludge represented the risk of unknown contaminants affecting the soil and nearby waterways, which is why it should have gone to an appropriately licensed facility.”
EPA directed the company to clean up the dumped sludge and take it to a lawful place for disposal. The company has complied.
Under the Environment Protection Act 2017 and the Infringements Act 2006, the operator has the right to have the infringement notice reviewed or be considered by a court.
Members of the public can report pollution by calling EPA’s 24-hour hotline on 1300 372 842 or providing details online at: epa.vic.gov.au/report-pollution/reporting-pollution
