Australia - Melbourne Water pays for polluting

Rachel Kleinman
August 29, 2007 - 3:36PM
Melbourne Water will be forced to pay $150,000 towards environmental projects after pleading guilty in the Melbourne Magistrates Court today to two charges of pollution of waters.
The water authority was punished for two environmental spills, which poured toxins into Cardinia Creek in Melbourne's south-east and Sugarloaf Creek in the Yarra Ranges. The court heard that aluminium sulphate leaked into Sugarloaf Creek from the nearby Winneke Treatment Plant several times during 2005. Water discolouration, as well as fish and eel deaths, were reported but the authority did not identify the leak's source for several months, according the Environmental Protection Authority's prosecutor. A separate incident at Cardinia Creek in 2006 resulted in large amounts of fluoride leeching into the waterway. Both incidents caused "severe environmental damage," the court heard. EPA executive director of regional services Bruce Dawson said the punishment reflected the seriousness of the offences. Melbourne Water acting managing director Eamonn Kelly said the organisation deeply regretted both incidents and the impact on the environment. The authority had since taken steps to improve asset and environmental management, Mr Kelly said.
Melbourne Water will contribute $60,000 towards a City of Whittlesea project to protect the Growling Grass Frog, an endangered species, and $90,000 towards an environmental project in Western Port Bay. No conviction was recorded and Melbourne Water was also ordered to pay $25,000 costs.