ENVIRONMENTAL officers are investigating an incident on December 11 where a truck dumped concrete slurry waste into the Yallingup Brook.
Residents say they saw the concrete pumping truck back up to a steep grass embankment next to the brook and dump the slurry over a 20 minute period.
The dumping, which occurred on Valley Road, has left concrete residue in the brook.
There are also two big piles of hardened concrete on the bank, close to the Yallingup Coastal Volunteer Fire Brigade building on Valley Road.
“The concrete and rubble was making a dreadful noise which attracted my attention,” a witness and local resident said.
“I saw it happening for five minutes but I suspect it had probably been there for at least 20.”
“We love our beach and the surrounding bush and don’t appreciate how it is being treated at the moment.”
Yallingup Brook is an environmentally sensitive area managed by the City of Busselton.
City environmental officers were alerted to the dumping by witnesses and information was then passed on to a pollution hotline.
City chief executive officer Mike Archer said this sort of pollution was very damaging to the aquatic environment and its removal could result in significant damage to the riverbed and plant life.
“The illegal dumping of waste and building materials into our waterways often occurs without the relevant authority being able to track down the offender,” Mr Archer said.
“Thanks to the vigilance of residents, in this instance we do have very good intelligence and we will pursue the person responsible.”
Mr Archer also said the city was seeking advice from the Department of Environmental Regulation (DER) as to how best to apply the regulations of the Environmental Protection Act in this instance.
DER will visit the site as part of their investigation and interview witnesses who watched the alleged illegal dumping.
A DER spokesperson said the environmental impact was being assessed and illegal dumping was a criminal offence with maximum penalties of up to $125,000.
“The person responsible may also be liable for costs and have responsibility for the
clean-up,” the spokesperson said.
Any person with information about alleged illegal dumping can contact DER’s Pollution Watch Hotline on 1300 784 782.
