The Bunbury Harvey Regional Council (BHRC) is a statutory local government authority that manages waste for the Shire of Harvey and City of Bunbury.
BHRC owns and manages the Stanley Road Waste Management Facility in Leschenault, which comprises a waste transfer station, greenwaste recycling and a Class II landfill site.
Historically, the site was used for a sand extraction and subsequently has operated as a waste management facility since 1990, receiving residential and commercial waste.
The site was recently classified as ‘Contaminated – Remediation Required’ under the Contaminated Sites Act following information submitted to the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) in August 2021.
Investigations - water use survey and groundwater sampling program
BHRC is currently undertaking environmental investigations associated with its operations at the Stanley Road Waste Management Facility and beyond the site. As part of these investigations, BHRC has engaged qualified environmental consultants, Cardno to undertake a water use survey and groundwater sampling program, commencing in October 2021, in the residential area immediately to the west of the facility (western side of Forrest Highway), generally between:
- Weller Loop to the East;
- Coral Drive to the East;
- Oceanic Close;
- Gulf Way;
- Reef Place; and
- Marine Drive to the North.
The focus of the program will be to understand groundwater use(s) and groundwater quality within the residential area and to determine whether there are any contaminants in the ground water.
It should be noted that the above area is serviced by scheme drinking water and there is no change in potential risk as the use of any groundwater should always be tested for water quality against its intended use.
The proposed sampling of residential bore water is a proactive approach, which will provide important data and assess the groundwater quality in the area.
Ongoing site remediation
As part of the ongoing operation of the Stanley Road site, BHRC is moving away from unlined cells and will be implementing a number of changes to minimise environmental impacts into the future, including:
- Installation of a flare to reduce landfill gas emissions.
- Capping and rehabilitation of the existing unlined landfill cells.
- Development of new lined landfill cells to minimise impacts on the environment.
- Future development of a compost facility.
For further information, please refer to Bunbury Harvey Regional Council website.
For media and general enquiries about the program, please contact Bunbury Harvey Regional Council Chief Executive Officer Peter Keane on 9797 2404.