A PEARCEDALE company which illegally dumped 37,000 litres of drilling sludge has been hit with a $10,000 fine.
A statement from the Environment Protection Authority Victoria read that the drilling sludge was dumped near Ovens River in August. “EPA Victoria officers tracked down the offenders after receiving reports of a truck dumping sludge near Wangaratta, when they spotted the suspect vehicle on the road and watched while it dumped a load at a site on Oxley Flats Road,” the EPA said.
Ausconnect Underground Services Pty Ltd was fined $10,176 for dumping industrial waste at a premises that was not licensed or equipped to accept it. It was issued a direction to clean up the waste – the order was complied with, EPA Victoria says.
EPA northeast regional manager Ben Kneebone says the big fine is a “warning to industry”.
“This kind of pollution can be common in regional areas where there are large scale projects under way,” Kneebone said. “It might not be the action of the major company running the project, but they still run the risk of being held responsible for their contractors trying to cut corners with industrial waste.
“In this case, the drilling sludge represented the risk of unknown contaminants affecting the soil and nearby waterways, which is why it should have gone to an appropriately licensed facility.”
To make a report to the EPA call its 24-hour hotline on 1300 372 842 or visit epa.vic.gov.au/report-pollution/
First published in the Frankston Times – 16 December 2025