Western Port
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Your weekly community newspaper covering the entire Western Port region
Wednesday 23 July 2024
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Hall costs over budget REDEVELOPMENT costs of Flinders Civic Hall have blown out by nearly $400,000. Work to upgrade the “no longer fit for purpose” hall in Cook Street was completed in March. Construction started in March 2022 and the first cost blowout ($222,166) was paid in March 2023, followed by a second extra payment of $74,834 in January this year. The latest payment of $97,347 needed the approval of Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors as it lifted the total over expenditure to more than $300,000. Picture: Gary Sissons See “Hall costs blowout by $400,000” - Page 4
Septic servicing costs ‘on the nose’ Cameron McCullough cameron@mpnews.com.au MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire is tightening enforcement of its wastewater policy, requiring some landholders to have their systems serviced quarterly or risk substantial fines. There are 22,000 properties on the peninsula that rely on wastewater systems - the highest number of
wastewater systems of any Victorian municipality. Following the adoption of its Wastewater Management Plan 20182023, the shire has audited systems, lobbied for better sewerage on the peninsula and reviewed its internal policy. Boneo resident Jeff Clencie was surprised to receive a letter from the shire in June last year identifying his wastewater system and requesting a service report to be supplied.
“We had purchased the property nine years earlier and had not had the system serviced. We complied with their request,” Clencie said. A follow up letter from the shire said “maintenance of the system by a competently trained person must be carried out at least once every three months”, detailing a fine could be issued for non-compliance. A fine of about $2000 (10 penalty units) can be imposed under the Environmental Protection Regulations
2021 (Vic) (‘EPR’) for failure to take “all reasonable steps to ensure the system is operated so as not to pose a risk of harm to human health or the environment”. “I believe it is outrageous. It is far too frequent, and very costly and inconvenient to have my septic system serviced every three months,” Clencie said. The EPR requires wastewater systems to be serviced but do not stipulate the service intervals.
“The requirement for three-monthly servicing for all aerated sewage treatment plants is imposed by the Environment Protection Authority in the certificate of approval for each type of sewage treatment plant,” a spokesperson from the shire’s environmental health team said. “All aerated treatment plant manufacturers include three-monthly servicing in system specifications and it is industry best practice.” Continued Page 4
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Starts 1st July, ends 30th September 2024 • Redeem by 7th October 2024 at www.greenworksaustralia.com/log-in