Magazine - Asbestos Traces found in soil on two ovals in Macedon Ranges

By Editor in Local Authority on 25th Apr 2009 11:20

Two sports ovals in the Macedon Ranges have been closed after a council contractor used contaminated turf sand containing traces of asbestos.

The Racecourse Reserve Oval in Woodend and Gardiner Oval in Gisborne have both been temporarily closed after the contractor undertook routine ‘top dressing’ of the surface.

The contractor, who has not been identified, was asked to ‘top dress’ the ovals with 220 tonnes of top soil.  But Macedon Ranges Council says the contractor used turf sand supplied by a third party that was contaminated with broken glass, rocks and other unsuitable material.

Preliminary testing of the unsuitable material indicated the presence of minute traces of non-friable asbestos, commonly found in household building materials such as cement sheeting, ceiling tiles and vinyl tiles. Additional sampling of the material has been undertaken and the council is awaiting the results.

The council says it is “extremely disappointed’’ with the supplier of the contaminated soil and the contractor and has met with both of them to discuss the matter. Council’s Parks Unit has installed “ground closed until further notice’’ signage around the two ovals.

The council says it is devoting its full resources to cleaning up the ovals and will obtain clearance from an independent authority before re-opening the two grounds. It says the contractor is fully cooperating with the council to expedite the clean-up process.

Macedon Ranges Mayor John Letchford said the safety of the community was paramount. “We are investigating the contamination and the community should be assured we are being very pro-active,’’ he said.


Source & More: macedon-ranges-leader.whereilive.com.au
by Andrew Jefferson

Read more articles in Local Authority, by Editor or from April 2009.