Environmental Audit Reports
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INFORMATION REGARDING ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT REPORTS August 2007 VICTORIA'S AUDIT SYSTEM AUDIT REPORT CURRENCY An environmental audit system has operated in Audit reports are based on the conditions encountered Victoria since 1989. The Environmenf Profecfion Acf and information reviewed at the time of preparation 1970 (the Act) provides for the appointment by the and do not represent any changes that may have Environment Protection Authority (EPA Victoria) of occurred since the date of completion. As it is not environmental auditors and the conduct of possible for an audit to present all data that could be independent, high quality and rigorous environmental of interest to all readers, consideration should be audits. made to any appendices or referenced documentation An environmental audit is an assessment of the for further information. condition of the environment, or the nature and extent When information regarding the condition of a site of harm (or risk of harm) posed by an industrial changes from that at the time an audit report is process or activity, waste, substance or noise. issued, or where an administrative or computation Environmental audit reports are prepared by EPA- error is identified, environmental audit reports, appointed environmental auditors who are highly certificates and statements may be withdrawn or qualified and skilled individuals. amended by an environmental auditor. Users are Under the Act, the function of an environmental advised to check EPA's website to ensure the currency auditor is to conduct environmental audits and of the audit document. prepare environmental audit reports. Where an environmental audit is conducted to determine the PDF SEARCHABILITY AND PRINTING condition of a site or its suitability for certain uses, an environmental auditor may issue either a certificate or EPA Victoria can only certify the accuracy and statement of environmental audit. correctness of the audit report and appendices as presented in the hardcopy format. EPA is not A certificate indicates that the auditor is of the opinion responsible for any issues that arise due to problems that the site is suitable for any beneficial use defined with PDF files or printing. in the Act, whilst a statement indicates that there is some restriction on the use of the site. Except where PDF normal format is specified, PDF files are scanned and optical character recognised by Any individual or organisation may engage appointed machine only. Accordingly, while the images are environmental auditors, who generally operate within consistent with the scanned original, the searchable the environmental consulting sector, to undertake hidden text may contain uncorrected recognition environmental audits. The EPA administers the errors that can reduce search reliability. Therefore, environmental audit system and ensures its ongoing keyword searches undertaken within the document integrity by assessing auditor applications and may not retrieve all references to the queried text. ensuring audits are independent and conducted with regard to guidelines issued by EPA. This PDF has been created using the Adobe-approved method for generating Print Optimised Output. To assure proper results, proofs must be printed, rather AUDIT FILES STRUCTURE than viewed on the screen. Environmental audit reports are stored digitally by This PDF is compatible with Adobe Acrobat Reader EPA in three parts: the audit report (part A), report Version 4.0 or any later version which is downloadable appendices (part B) and, where applicable, the free from Adobe's Website, www.adobe.com. certificate or statement of environmental audit and an executive summary (part C). A report may be in colour FURTHER I N FORMATION and black-and-white formats. Generally, only black- and-white documents are text searchable. For more information on Victoria's environmental Report executive summaries, findings and audit system, visit EPA's website or contact EPA's recommendations should be read and relied upon only Environmental Audit Unit. in the context of the document as a whole, including Web: www.epa.vic.clov.au/envaudit any appendices and, where applicable, any certificate Email: [email protected] or statement of environmental audit. 1 of 119 REPORT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT of the site of the former GOODWOOD DRIVE PARKS & GARDENS DEPOT AND NURSERY prepared for The CITY OF GREATER DANDENONG 16th October 1996 2 of 119 CONTENTS The site Backgmund Work done Definition of sampling locations soil samplingprot4xol Soil types encountered Groundwater levels encountered and deduced Analysis logic Conclusions Recommendations Appended items Site diagram showing sampling locations, A3-sized, dated 06SEP96 I F Thomas & Associates’ analytical result sheet, A3-sized, dated 25SEP96, I page Laboratory result sheet, A4-sized, MGT Report No 113980,16pages Soil testing reportlengineering log, MacGregor Soil Eng Job No 963115,G pages Letter IFTA to City of Greater Dandenong, dated 1st October 1996 Letter Withers to IFTA, dated 8th October 1996 Copy of Golder Associates Pty Ltd report no 95613659111, dated July 1996,39pages City of Springvale Plan No B28.05.3 Photographic record 3 of 119 I F THOMAS& ASSOCIATESPTY LTDACN006414704 Chemical, Environmental, Process Safety, Loss Prevention and Risk Engineers OH&S Consultants Industrial Hygienists 10th October 1996 The Special Projects Officer Facility Management City of Greater Dandenong Municipal Offices 397-405 Springvale Road Springvale, 3171 Attention : Mr D Graffen Dear Mr Graffen, Subjed: Soil contamination assessment property: Goodwood Drive Depot (former) Reference: Order No 080270 Further to our letter of 1st October 1996, we are pleased to report herein on the assessment of the former Goodwood Drive Depot site. The site The site lies with its long dimension east-west and is approximately 130m long by 80m wide. Northern and southern boundaries are straight and eastern and western boundaries are irregular. Northern and southern boundaries are timber paling fenced and eastern and western boundaries are fenced by wire mesh. In the south-west corner a small portion of land juts out some 30m to the west and in the north-east corner, a further small portion of land juts out some 30m east as far as Billing Street. Access to the site is via an angled entrance road from Goodwood Drive to the east, the land of which was not part of this assessment. The aforementioned jutting out portions and the main site are a part of this assessment. Neighbouring properties are all residences :- 13 private houses to the south on Bailey Court 8 private residences to the north on Ann Street 3 private houses to the east, two on Goodwood Drive and one on Billing Street 2 private houses and the N L Williams Hostel for the Aged to the west, all with Springvale Road frontage. Goodwood Drive is a rectangular street block with access only from View Road to the east and Billing Street to the north. The site entrance road is built on land described as Lot 27 in Certificate of Title Volume 8414 Folio 879 and adjoins Goodwood Drive at the point where Billing Street enters. Access may also be gained to the site by arrangement, via locked gates abutting Billing Street and further locked gates abutting the aged persons hostel site. The site is gently sloping towards the Goodwood Drive entrance and is partly tree covered. It is quiet and of a pleasant disposition. The soil is very sandy and the water table was remarkably close to the surface at time of assessment. The site we believe, is readily Directors : Ian Thomas, BScHons(ChemEng) MEngSci(EnvEng) FIChemE FIEAust MRACI CEng(UK) CPEng CChem Joan Thomas, Assoc(Affi1)RACI CompMembIChemE AssocMembAIOH I23 Nelson Place Williamstown Victoria 3016 Australia Tel 03 9397 1413 Fax 03 9397 5406 4 of 119 I F THOMAS& ASSOCIATESPTY LTDACN 006 414 704 Chemical, Environmental, Process Safety, Loss Prevention and Risk Engineers OH&S Consultants Industrial Hygienists amenable to any style of residential subdivision though its pleasant nature might suggest wisdom in developing a larger than average lot size with open-plan, unfenced front gardens and numerous trees. Some existing trees are considered worthy of retention such as the established blue spruce, moreton bay fig and poplars, though the bulk of trees present need not be considered an embarrassment in development terms. Whilst the seclusion of the property is we believe, a major factor in causing the site to be so pleasant presently, the construction of road access to Springvale Road to the west via the private property or part of it is perhaps possible in the long term, or perhaps the construction of a pedestrian pathway through the site to Springvale Road might be considered. Background A detailed site history appraisal was conducted by Golder Associates Pty Ltd for the City of Greater Dandenong in July 1996 and its findings formed the basis for consideration by the City, as to the form which an environmental assessment should take. The Golder Associates report is attached hereto but in brief, its findings were as follows :- 4 aerial photographs, 7 drawings, Council records, Council officer advice, prior Golder Associates reports and Sands & MacDougall Directories of Victoria provided data for the site history appraisal At the time, a certificate of title for the site was not available There is some doubt as to the location of the boundary of the site to the west; existing fences were used by us to signify the extent of the site The site used to be divided into two along an east-west centre line, the property to the south having been the initial depot and nursery site and the property to the north having been a former Gas and Fuel Corporation site A gasometer is shown to have been present near the western boundary of the site on land now occupied by the H L Wlliams Hostel Immediate prior use of the site was by the former City of Springvale as its Parks and Gardens Depot and Nursery; this use ceased in 1995 Since cessation of use as a depot and nursery, no other use of the site has been made and in July/August 1996, all improvements were removed by Guilfoyle Wreckers Pty Ltd, including buildings and bitumen and concrete ground coverings.