saw this..

www.theage.com.au/environment/sustainability/a-swim-in-the-bay-this-weekend-forget-it-20120210-1sh04.html

This is a massive problem !!!!

I wrote to the EPA on exactly this issue about 3 weeks ago I am now up to my 4th email with three responses so far, not one answer has been addressed.

I'm not sure if I can legally scan and post up my emails and the EPA's responses ( Laurie ? )

But in a nut shell I asked :
1. Do Melbourne water release raw sewerage into the bay during times of heavy rain ?
Answer: yes only on rare events ( pffft...)

2. Why do we not have grates on our storm water drains to prevent debris from entering the bay and ending up on the beaches ?
Answer: this is a council issue.

2nd email

1. Given melbourne water do release raw sewerage into the bay what actions are being taken
To expand the sewerage infrastructure capabilities to:
a) plan for future rain events
b) and prepare for Melbournes rapidly expanding population
Answers: a) the system is based on a 1 in 5 year event. ( wtf.....). And that is basically all they said


2. Are Melbourne water ( a corporation ) fined or penalised for breaching the environmental act as any other corporation would
No real answer given just fluff

Basically the EPA (well at least the person I received a response from ) had no idea and or are basically doing nothing to address this very SERIOUS ISSUE

The reason this issue is so serious is the Port Phillip Bay should almost be considered an enclosed waterway it does not get anywhere near enough flush through to handle this pollution.
Giardia and ecoli are serious bacteria and during these events their levels are THOUSANDS of times higher than the acceptable level. (WTF thousands .....). check the history reports for yourselves.
Serious action needs to be taken before it is to far out of control

Ps: this is not about dog $h1t being washed down the street into the bay it's about 100's of thousands of litres of RAW sewerage ( OUR **** not to be confused with storm water )being release into the water close to where we all kite and this is in summer many of us kite all year and it rains a lot more during winter yet the issue is not publicised as the beaches are not packed .......... We as kiters spend more time in the bay than just about anyone else so we should be at the fore front of this battle!!!

FU@king pissed off as you may be able to tell.

To top it off, the EPA has just approved the building of a soil treatment plant in altona. Imagine what thats going to do to the water quality.

www.gopetition.com/petitions/no-toxic-soil-facility-in-altona.html

Signed too! I live near the rail line on the northern part of Altona. No way jose!!!!

Singinture #103

Fair point juggler.
Sewerage treatment plant that is already there is in altona meadows.

The soil treatment plant is a lot different animal. The council is against it but the chemical company wants it.
Yes it is in an industrial area but where they want to put it is very near houses and unless the concerns are met regarding the pollution threat the EPA should not let it go forward.
We all know how the EPA allow raw sewage into the rivers and bay, whos to say they will control contaminated soils(dust, asbestos maybe? ) to be blown over a residentail area stretching miles from the site into ereas that arent in an industrial zone.

Altona was in the first instance a dairy and pastoral erea before it was named Altona (make sense)
It was named Altona when the coal mine was opened there in the 1800's (underground) a guy from Altona germany opened the mine and named it Altona. The mine was eventually shut when water seepage became to much of a problem in the 1930's.

Some houses remaining ( made from straw and render i think) along merton street were there way way before the chemical companies moved in, those houses are still there.

Put it somewhere there is nothing, like point wilson for example. ****e farms, quarries, salt pans and an airport are all thats there.

Hey juggler i have been riding the wind around Altona since the 1990's and i live and love the place,we dont want that kind of S@#%$ dumped here any more than if someone was to do the same in your neighbourhood,Im sure You Would LOVE It if they were to build it near the eastern treatment plant near patterson lakes
They need to just build it somewhere away from residential areas simple as that! a 1km buffer zone is unacceptable!!!

Ted B swims at Brighton Baths doesn't he. Might be to bigger infrastructure project to fix?