Post by Cullyn Of Cerrmor on Jan 3, 2009 12:39:56 GMT 9.5
EPA approved methane gas risk: council
January 2, 2009 - 5:04PM
The Melbourne council at the centre of a housing estate gas scare says the Environment Protection Authority has concluded the risk was acceptable despite advising that residents should evacuate their homes.
Acting on advice from the EPA, fire authorities told residents last September they may have to leave their homes because dangerous levels of methane gas leaking from a nearby landfill could cause an explosion at the Brooklands Greens estate in Cranbourne.
As a result, many residents evacuated their homes, house prices in the estate plummeted and now hundreds of residents are taking legal action against Casey Council, in Melbourne's south-east.
The City of Casey on Friday said the EPA did two risk assessments in October and both showed the risks in September were within an acceptable range.
"Two risk assessments were conducted by the EPA in October and both workshops determined that the risk on September 9 was not in the 'intolerable' range or even in the 'tolerable' range but was in the 'acceptable' range," said Mayor Geoff Ablett, who was elected in November last year.
The EPA has not yet released its report showing this, Mr Ablett said.
Environmental consultant ENSR provided advice to the council and said it was surprised the EPA used it to warn residents to move out.
The City of Casey released a letter it received from ENSR which says the EPA had taken its advice "out of context".
"We were somewhat surprised by the fact that the EPA's email implied that ENSR's letter dated 4 September 2008 advised the circumstances that necessitate the relocation of residents," the letter stated.
"This phrase has been taken out of context in relation to the letter in its entirety and it is concerning that the EPA failed to refer to the other actions that were identified in our letter."
Mr Ablett said the council anticipated an ombudsman's inquiry would investigate the basis for the EPA's advice.
He said future high methane readings would be dealt with differently under new Country Fire Authority guidelines.
Under these guidelines, a house with a high reading would be vented and fitted with a range of measures, while homes within a 250-metre radius would no longer need to be evacuated.
The council has said the guidelines are the same approach used before the emergency being declared.
In a statement, the EPA confirmed information provided by ENSR was part of the evidence it used when advising the CFA and said it remained confident the advice was the most appropriate at that time.
The council says there has only been one incident where methane levels have exceeded the lower explosive limit and this was dealt with before the warning of imminent danger was issued.
It says more than 300 homes have been monitored and 95 per cent did not show any methane reading.
© 2009 AAP
Why didn't they drive pipes into the ground to drain off the methane. Even though it is probably the worst green house gas, methane is a clean burning fuel and doesn't produce green house gasses when burnt. A unit set to tap the gas could of powered itself from the gas tapped out of the soil, as well as providing an alternate fuel source.
January 2, 2009 - 5:04PM
The Melbourne council at the centre of a housing estate gas scare says the Environment Protection Authority has concluded the risk was acceptable despite advising that residents should evacuate their homes.
Acting on advice from the EPA, fire authorities told residents last September they may have to leave their homes because dangerous levels of methane gas leaking from a nearby landfill could cause an explosion at the Brooklands Greens estate in Cranbourne.
As a result, many residents evacuated their homes, house prices in the estate plummeted and now hundreds of residents are taking legal action against Casey Council, in Melbourne's south-east.
The City of Casey on Friday said the EPA did two risk assessments in October and both showed the risks in September were within an acceptable range.
"Two risk assessments were conducted by the EPA in October and both workshops determined that the risk on September 9 was not in the 'intolerable' range or even in the 'tolerable' range but was in the 'acceptable' range," said Mayor Geoff Ablett, who was elected in November last year.
The EPA has not yet released its report showing this, Mr Ablett said.
Environmental consultant ENSR provided advice to the council and said it was surprised the EPA used it to warn residents to move out.
The City of Casey released a letter it received from ENSR which says the EPA had taken its advice "out of context".
"We were somewhat surprised by the fact that the EPA's email implied that ENSR's letter dated 4 September 2008 advised the circumstances that necessitate the relocation of residents," the letter stated.
"This phrase has been taken out of context in relation to the letter in its entirety and it is concerning that the EPA failed to refer to the other actions that were identified in our letter."
Mr Ablett said the council anticipated an ombudsman's inquiry would investigate the basis for the EPA's advice.
He said future high methane readings would be dealt with differently under new Country Fire Authority guidelines.
Under these guidelines, a house with a high reading would be vented and fitted with a range of measures, while homes within a 250-metre radius would no longer need to be evacuated.
The council has said the guidelines are the same approach used before the emergency being declared.
In a statement, the EPA confirmed information provided by ENSR was part of the evidence it used when advising the CFA and said it remained confident the advice was the most appropriate at that time.
The council says there has only been one incident where methane levels have exceeded the lower explosive limit and this was dealt with before the warning of imminent danger was issued.
It says more than 300 homes have been monitored and 95 per cent did not show any methane reading.
© 2009 AAP
Why didn't they drive pipes into the ground to drain off the methane. Even though it is probably the worst green house gas, methane is a clean burning fuel and doesn't produce green house gasses when burnt. A unit set to tap the gas could of powered itself from the gas tapped out of the soil, as well as providing an alternate fuel source.