The Victorian Government has announced an agreement that will stop the last discharge of industrial wastewater into the Yarra River.

 

State Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Ryan Smith, said that Mobil Oil Australia will comply with an EPA Pollution Abatement Notice which requires the petroleum producer to halt its discharges into the Yarra River at Spotswood to the sewer system by June next year.

 

Mobil has held an EPA license that permitted the company to discharge wastewater produced at Spotswood into the Yarra River since 1973, which allowed the company to discharge 2.5 megalitres of wastewater per day.

 

"To allow Mobil to continue to discharge into the Yarra River is inconsistent with community expectations and is inconsistent with Victoria's environment protection policies," Mr Smith said.

 

The EPA has formed part of a new Ministerial taskforce charged with better management of the Yarra River. Other taskforce members include DSE, Melbourne Water, Parks Victoria, Port Phillip and Corangamite CMAs and the Port of Melbourne.