NEWS DESK
More tests for chemicals at Navy base Stephen Taylor steve@mpnews.com.au WESTERN Port residents are awaiting the results of the second stage of a detailed environmental investigation into the presence of carcinogenic chemicals in surface water at HMAS Cerberus, Crib Point. If the tests prove positive to per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a health and ecological risk assessment “may” be required, a defence spokesman said. “This assessment will evaluate potential risks to the human population and ecology, and inform actions to mitigate risks.” The second round of testing follows the first stage which reviewed the historic use of firefighting foams at the base to identify PFAS sources, possible runoff routes and plants and animals that could have ingested it. It is believed signs of PFAS contamination were found in surface water samples.
The latest testing will involve sampling and analysing soil, surface water, sediment, groundwater and vegetation on the base and at properties nearby. Soil and groundwater samples have already been taken and bores are being prepared for sampling, the spokesperson said. Further information was collected through a water-use survey of nearby residents and businesses within one kilometre of the base to learn how they used water. “Once the sampling is complete and results are analysed a detailed report will be prepared and shared with relevant government and regulatory bodies as well as the community. The report is expected to be completed mid-2018.” Defence was trialling PFAS management techniques, such as water treatments, drain maintenance, and soil solidification and stabilisation trials, the spokesman said. It is also “monitoring research around the world to ensure that it is aware of new advances in technology and methodology”.
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No train a’comin: A maintenance vehicle using the Stony Point line at the Reid Parade crossing, Hastings is a clear indication that there won’t be train for at least some time.
Train fails the test of time - MP TRAINS on the Stony Point line have set a new low when it comes to reliability, according to Hastings MP Neale Burgess. In a news release headed “Stony Point line snags some horror results” Mr Burgess says the train from Frankston to Stony Point fails to meet targets set by train operator Metro Trains. “The Stony Point train line has recorded some of the worst results for reliability and punctuality in the state,
with the most recent figures showing the service is not meeting its targets,” Mr Burgess stated. He said the 99.3 per cent reliability recorded when the Labor government was elected has fallen to “a new low of 82.4 per cent”. “To add insult to injury, punctuality of the service also needs addressing. In January 2015, the figures for this performance indicator sat at 96.4 per cent. Today, that figure is a measly 83.2 per cent, a drop of 13.2 per cent.”
Liberal Mr Burgess, who once said PSOs (Protective Service Officers) would be deployed on all stations on the Stony Point line, accused the government of “ignoring the townships of the Mornington Peninsula who rely on this service on a daily basis to get to and from work”. He said public transport “only seems to be an issue for the government if it affects their inner-city seats under threat from the Greens”. Keith Platt
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OPEN 7 DAYS Western Port News 24 October 2017
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