Environment Protection Authority (EPA) south west manager Carolyn Francis said while a pollution abatement notice had been served, EPA officers had not observed any waste water contaminating surface water at the camp ground, the nearby Gellibrand River or Latrobe Creek.

The camping ground is especially popular during summer, with many campers fishing and swimming in the Gellibrand River.

Ms Francis said the reserve’s septic tank system was more than 20 years old and EPA had issued the reserve’s management committee with a Pollution Abatement Notice that required it to review whether the reserve’s wastewater management was adequate for the site’s current usage levels.

She said the Pollution Abatement Notice was a legal instruction and had a deadline of April 30, this year.

The review is part of a statewide review by EPA Victoria of small waste water treatment plants.

Ms Francis said any person or organisation that was responsible for a premises that generated sewage output was required to manage it in a way that protected human health and the environment.

The recreation reserve is managed by a management committee that reports to the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP).

DELWP spokesman Greg Leece said it was aware of the pollution abatement notice for the septic tank at the camp ground and had met with the EPA regarding the matter. 

DELWP was working with the EPA and the management committee to assess the situation and develop a plan for future waste water management at the site, he said.

A formal assessment report was being commissioned by the management committee, Mr Leece said.