Walka Water Works at Maitland which has been closed for months due to asbestos contamination has been given a Lifeline from the State Government.
They’ve written a $612,000 cheque to Maitland City Council to undertake an assessment of the site and prepare to clean-p the reserve.
Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Taylor Martin said the funding would be the first step in an ongoing effort to restore the Crown land which is managed by the Council for community use.
“The discovery of friable asbestos in sections of the reserve forced its temporary closure in February,” Taylor Martin said.
“This funding will allow for testing and analysis to identify any asbestos or heavy metal contamination on different parts of the reserve, and then development of a Remedial Action Plan to clean-up contaminated land.”
“Bonded asbestos material will also be removed from several priority areas at the reserve grounds,”
“A site auditor accredited by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has been engaged to oversee work and ensure the site is safely remediated.”
Maitland City Council’s General Manager David Evans welcomed the funding.
“We are grateful for the NSW Government’s support and their understanding of the importance of Walka Water Works to the community,” David Evans said.
“The collaboration between agencies and speed with which the NSW Government offered support shows that they, like us, want the site reopened as soon as possible.”