The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) and Moyne Shire Council have appointed Melbourne environmental assessor Senversa Pty Ltd to undertake the field work.

DSE south-west public land program manager Greg Leece said there would be nine landfill gas/groundwater monitoring bores installed across the two tip sites to assess the emissions. 

“Some test holes or small trenches will also need to be dug to enable the waste content and boundaries of the landfills to be determined,” he said.

“We are asking people to observe safety measures, which includes keeping out of the fenced-off areas and taking care near the unstable dune faces on the beach.”

A final report from the assessors including the findings of the laboratory analysis, description of waste and risks to the environment from the landfill sites will be presented to the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) by the end of October. 

The report will also recommend options for managing those risks and be used to develop long-term management plans for both sites.

Shire mayor Jim Doukas said he looked forward to the final report showing the test results.

The Port Fairy Working Group is continuing to co-ordinate a number of related projects at Port Fairy to help manage erosion at East Beach.

j.pech@standard.fairfax.com.au