"It was really visible that something terrible had happened and people didn't feel like they were getting information, they weren't being contacted and I think the sight of the dead fish really frightened people," she remembers. She says the EPA's communication with the Altona community was poor after the Cherry Lake spill. She is critical of industrial businesses which don't do enough to protect natural environments but she is also critical of the regulator – the EPA. The former Victorian Greens MP now chairs the Anti-Toxic Waste Alliance – an organisation which brings together about 20 different community groups and unions. ( ABC News: Danielle Bonica) After 'disaster' in the west, environmentalists hope for tougher regulation of businessesĬolleen Hartland is a familiar face in Melbourne's west – she's lived in the Footscray area for 40 years and has a long involvement in the environmental movement. Melbourne's west has a large number of industrial estates and factories.
That spill is still being investigated by the EPA the company issued a statement earlier this year expressing its deep concern over the event. The pollution is then believed to have flowed all the way to the entrance of Port Phillip Bay. From there, the pollution flowed into Cherry Lake in Altona, which is a large recreational lake in the city's south-west. The chemicals made their way into the nearby Cherry Creek from stormwater drains. Authorities believe about 12,000 litres of chemicals were spilt from a site which was storing agricultural fertilisers. The spill started at a Melbourne Transport and Warehousing site in Laverton in March of this year after a fire. The EPA's focus on industrial businesses comes after a major chemical spill in Melbourne's west earlier this year, which spread via storm water drains. Regulator trying to prevent another spill like Cherry Lake The inspectors have concentrated their efforts on the west and north of Melbourne, as well as the Latrobe Valley, Wodonga and Bendigo, where they hope to protect smaller creeks that flow through industrial areas and into larger rivers and, in some cases, into Port Phillip Bay. The breach notices cover a wide range of issues, including one business which was given a notice for causing a pollution event from liquid waste, while other businesses were reported for failure to prevent runoff into stormwater, failure to contain wash water and failures to properly store or handle chemicals or waste.
Inspectors visit an industrial business in Bacchus Marsh to check compliance.
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