Soil contamination at former Midlands Reserve Scout Hall site

Update: 9 June 2021 

The City of Ballarat enacted a site remediation plan, and the contaminated soil was removed by Enviroco Pty Ltd, as an Environment Protection Authority (EPA) licensed contractor. 

Enviroco has followed approved EPA processes and all contaminated material has been removed from the former scout hall site, and disposed of at an EPA approved, contained site.

What happens next? The City of Ballarat will receive a report from Enviroco to inform future management of the former scout hall site and the reserve.

The site and the remainder of the reserve are safe to use. The former scout hall site will remain fenced off until remaining landscape construction works are complete.

In coming weeks, clean tested fill and topsoil will be added to the site to replace the material that has been removed.

Following the addition of the clean fill and topsoil, an irrigated Community Green will be constructed which includes the old scout hall site.

While we are confident all contaminated material has been removed from the former Scout Hall site, as a precautionary measure, the proposed Community Garden Wicking Beds and standard planter boxes will have a plastic membrane to separate the ground below from the planter boxes.

Media statement  26 March 2021

The former Midlands Reserve Scout Hall at 705 Landsborough St Ballarat North was demolished in February. 

Following the demolition, shallow excavation works on the building site found a layer of fill material, presumed to be ash or cinders, located beneath a layer of compacted gravel.
The City of Ballarat commissioned Enviroco Australia Pty Ltd to conduct soil tests to identify the extent of the material and any contamination.

Results of the tests indicated the presence of Benzo(a)pyrene in the shallow area beneath the former scout hall site.

Immediately following these results, the City of Ballarat commissioned testing at both the Midlands Kindergarten and Midlands Reserve Aquatic Play Space sites. These tests returned negative results for the presence of Benzo(a)pyrene.

The City of Ballarat has enacted a site remediation plan, and the contaminated soil will be removed by Enviroco Pty Ltd, as an Environment Protection Authority-(EPA) licensed contractor.

Enviroco will follow approved EPA processes to ensure that there is no impact to any surrounding areas or residents. The contaminated material will be disposed of at an EPA-approved, contained site. These works area expected to start in the first week of the school holidays.

The former scout hall site is fenced and secured. As a precaution, further soil testing will be done at the Midlands Aquatic Play Space and Midlands Kindergarten sites. Initial test results at these sites this month and during previous projects indicate the reserve is safe for continued community use and residents in the area are not impacted.

Families, staff and tenant groups at adjoining sites including Midlands Kindergarten, Ballarat Childcare Cooperative, Ballarat North Community Centre, as well as neighbouring properties, were informed today (Friday, 26/3).