The Victorian Government’s response to the Inquiry into the Victorian Environment Protection Authority’s (EPA) supported a risk-based approach to assessing potentially contaminated environments and setting statutory requirements for the notification, clean up, and safe redevelopment, of contaminated sites.
A key component to deliver on this commitment is the development of a proportionate and appropriate approach to the assessment of potentially contaminated sites, and the cornerstone of this approach is the pilot of a preliminary risk screen assessment (PRS). The PRS is proposed in the Environment Protection Amendment Bill 2018.
A PRS will determine potential contamination risks and issues on sites with a low to medium potential for contamination, following the NEPM site assessment approach. A PRS will result in a PRS Report and a PRS Statement, making a conclusion as to whether an audit is required.
The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP), in partnership with the EPA, are delivering, evaluating, and refining the proposed approach over a period of 18 months starting April 2018.
During the pilot, environmental auditors on DELWP’s PRS panel will conduct PRSs, on sites chosen by DELWP and EPA. So far, two local governments have committed to be part of the pilot; City of Whittlesea and City of Greater Bendigo. State government land will also undergo PRSs during the pilot.
For more information about the PRS pilot, contact Mat Kinred, the Project Manager at DELWP at prs.pilot@delwp.vic.gov.au