SEVERAL new underground locations of interest have been revealed at the Lemon Springs illegal waste dump south of Kaniva.
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The Environment Protection Authority Victoria has used continued drone surveying to discover the additional locations.
Ground penetrating radar was used in the grid pattern search to identify any remaining small suspected locations.
Authority north-west regional manager Scott Pigdon said the discovery would be factored into management and remediation works.
"The site is remote, complex and very large. Up to ten new locations will be inspected. All are small in size and all underground locations still making up about 0.2 per cent of the 1400-acre property," he said.
"The use of high-end aerial mapping and radar technology has made the difference in discovering the dump sites, which will now be factored into ongoing management and remediation planning.
"This work has been both critical and extensive in understanding all the key risk areas for us moving forward, but it should give community confidence that we are doing a thorough job and no chemical waste will be left undiscovered."
Related stories:
- April 2020: Remediation works continue on illegal waste dump site near Kaniva
- April 2020: GWMWater increases Kaniva sampling to assess waste dump contamination
- February 2020: Chemical waste crime squad launched, but no new funding for site clean-up
- December 2019: Kaniva 'dump' property owner charged over Melbourne stockpiles
- October 2019: EPA continues excavating illegally dumped waste at Kaniva
- September 2019: Watchdog to start excavating Kaniva waste dump site in coming weeks
- July 2019: Massive illegal chemical dump found buried on bush block in country Victoria
The authority is confident the dump sites have been concentrated in one half of the property, where there is evidence that vegetation has been cleared.
It will update its site, safety and environmental management plans to include the additional locations identified.
Dr Pigdon said the drone surveying, using ground penetrating radar, would continue because it provided the authority with real-time information that was critical to its long-term success.
Also at the site, West Wimmera Shire Council has finished building two internal roads on the property ahead of schedule.
The access roads will provide a secure surface to transport the excavated waste materials on the property.
"These roads will stop trucks and heavy machinery from getting bogged in the sandy soils. EPA thanks the contractors, West Wimmera Shire Council, for completing this work ahead of schedule," Dr Pigdon said.
"With the recent drone information, we are now planning for more site stabilisation works to be completed over the coming months. These works are designed to set the site up ready for the next phase of remediation."
The authority is investigating how material arrived and then was disposed of at the dump.
It will also continue to monitor groundwater quality at the site, finalise additional procurement works for site remediation, and monitor the premises' security.
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