Spearwood's Vela Luka Park handed back to community through the City of Cockburn

14/12/99
Environment Minister Cheryl Edwardes today handed Spearwood 's Vela Luka Park back to the community through the City of Cockburn following the completion of the $300,000 remediation of its soil, contaminated by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
Mrs Edwardes said this popular community playground had been remediated and was now completely safe for people and children using the park.
"The tarry PAH contamination was mechanically excavated from the open park areas and, after it had been carefully broken up, vacuumed from between and beneath tree roots to avoid removing 11 large 70-year-old Tuart trees," she said.
"In all, about 300 tonnes of tarry material and 2,700 tones of PAH moderately contaminated soil have been excavated, taken away and replaced with clean soil."
Mrs Edwardes thanked the City of Cockburn for its important role in the remediation and restoration of the park and presented the chief executive officer, Rod Brown, with a copy of the remediation report, scrolls depicting the park prior to the clean-up, and a cheque for $21,000 as a contribution towards restoration of the reticulation and playground."
The Minister also expressed gratitude to community representatives and local residents for their valuable assistance and advice during the project.
"The remediation of Vela Luka Park is testimony to what can be achieved when the community, local government and the State Government work together as one," she said.
Until the early 1970s, Fremantle Gas and Coke Company operated a gas-manufacturing site in Spearwood, after which the area was cleaned up and developed for residential use.
In December 1997 a tar sample taken by the Water and Rivers Commission indicated the presence of gas manufacturing waste a Vela Luka Park. The Department of Environmental Protection, the Water and Rivers Commission, the Health Department and the City of Cockburn formed a project team to investigate the findings.
The project was given the green light in June 1999. On-site remediation work commenced on November 1 and was completed last Friday.
Media contact: Carole Cowling (08) 9421 7777