East Gippsland Water (EGW) has been hit with a $9000 fine by EPA Victoria for discharging into Macleod Morass in April this year.
The environmental watchdog said EGW discharged more than 30 million litres of wastewater into the morass from the Bairnsdale Waste-water Treatment Plant following wet weather.
The EPA fine of $9087 is for the unlawful deposit of wastewater under section 115(4) of the Environment Protection Act (2017).
EPA Gippsland regional manager, Jessica Bandiera, said while Macleod Morass is a wetland that naturally filters water and would likely have absorbed any bacterial pollution before it could reach the Gippsland Lakes, the wastewater did not meet the conditions of the facility’s EPA licence.
“An EPA licence to operate is not just open slather, it is a tool we use to apply stringent, enforceable environmental conditions as to the way the business or facility is run,” Ms Bandiera said.

IMAGE: East Gippsland Water has been fined more than $9000 for discharging wastewater into the internationally recognised Macleod Morass in Bairnsdale. K277-7532 (2)