EPA Victoria is on track to complete the clean up of the Lemon Springs illegal waste dump with work to clear the final burial site underway.

Waste has now been removed from 30 of the 32 sites identified and 16 of them have been backfilled with clean soil. 

More than 1,600 tonnes of liquid waste and 7,900 tonnes of contaminated soil has been removed from the site. More than 30,000 tonnes of contaminated soil have been discovered. Where possible soil is being dealt with at an onsite facility, once clean, it will be reused for backfilling.

Excavation of acetylene cylinders also continues. More than 48,000 cylinders have been removed to date. A project to establish a new industry to treat, remediate and dispose of the cylinders in Stawell has been launched. Enviropacific was the successful bidder for the proposed new disposal facility following a national tender process with their first task to manage the Lemon Springs cylinders. They will create Australia’s first built-for-purpose, end-of-life acetylene cylinder treatment and disposal centre.

All excavation sites have been pumped dry and the water has been relocated to the evaporation dam. The onsite wastewater treatment plant has been turned off over this warmer period and has treated more than 2,500 kilolitres of wastewater to date. 

 The clean-up is on track to be completed by mid- 2023.

EPA is keen to hear from you, have your say and complete a short survey on the project here

For a further update on the site, view our latest progress video: 

Lemon Springs Update March 2023  

Staying informed

EPA’s website is the best place to visit to stay up to date –  www.epa.vic.gov.au/lemonsprings.