NEWPORT’S J.C. Madigan Reserve will remain closed to the public after investigations revealed widespread soil contamination.
Hobsons Bay City Council fenced the reserve off amid public safety concerns over holes that appeared in the reserve in 2006.
The council last week announced further tests would be carried out after initial investigations revealed soil contamination dating back to the 1980s when the reserve was used for land fill and to store oil in underground tanks.
Councillor Peter Hemphill said the tests showed soil 10 centimetres below the surface was contaminated.
“The potentially more serious risk identified is groundwater contamination which may have been caused by residue from when the site was used to store oil in underground tanks or as a landfill,” Cr Hemphill said.
“Although initial tests carried out so far indicate that the contamination has not spread further than the reserve, the council will conduct further tests to identify the extent of the pollution.”
He said the test results would be reported to the Environment Protection Authority, along with recommendations for a rehabilitation plan.
The council came under fire about the reserve’s closure late last year when former councillor Brad Mathieson accused councillors of depriving residents of a community asset.
Hobsons Bay mayor Bill Baarini said the council had acted appropriately to ensure the public’s safety.
“The previous site investigations proposed only minor remediation measures but recent evidence now suggests that we have a much larger problem,” Cr Baarini said.
He said the council had agreed to pay for rehabilitation works. The estimated cost of the work is $95,500.
“It is unfortunate that the council has to keep the reserve closed to the public but its proximity to Newport Lakes Park, Hoffman Reserve and Loft Reserve means that residents still have good access to areas of open space.”
JC Madigan Reserve was a blue stone quarry in the 1930s before being used to store underground oil tanks in the 1940s.
The tanks were decommissioned in the 1970s and the site was then used for landfill.
It became a public reserve in the 1980s.
