Warehousing company charged over Melbourne chemical spill which led to major fish kill

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Victoria's Environment Protection Authority has charged a warehousing company over a significant chemical spill in Melbourne's west, which led to the death of thousands of fish.

The EPA alleges Melbourne Transport and Warehousing failed to reduce the risk of a leak of dangerous goodsIt is the first time the regulator has used new, general environmental duty lawsand flowed through Cherry Lake, a popular recreational area, where dead fish were seen floating across the surface of the waterways.

Today the EPA announced it had filed criminal charges against Melbourne Transport and Warehousing . The charges can attract fines of up to $1.8 million.In its charges, the environmental regulator alleged the company failed to take reasonable actions to reduce the risk of a leak of dangerous goods stored at its Laverton North site.

The EPA also alleged the company failed in its general environmental duty and failed to minimise the risk of harm to human health and the environment.The EPA's chief executive Lee Miezis said this case would be the first time the regulator had filed criminal charges against an organisation under the relatively new, general environmental duty laws.

"The GED or general environmental duty came into effect with the new Environment Protection Act on the 1st of July last year," Mr Miezis said. "So the GED basically says all Victorians have to take reasonably practical action to minimise or eliminate risk to the environment from the activities they take on a day-to-day basis."The ABC has contacted Melbourne Transport and Warehousing for comment.

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Those photos show dead carp, the worst thing to ever happen to Australian freshwater creeks and rivers. There is always a silver lining apparently.

Don't think it's weird as long as it's done by people😠

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