By Alesha Capone
Construction of a new cell at the Werribee tip is continuing to cause problems and additional costs for Wyndham council.
Wyndham council’s director of city operations Stephen Thorpe, said the construction of cell five at the Refuse Disposal Facility in Wests Road has been delayed by about three months because of a delay in receiving a supply of clay for the construction of the clay lining system.
“Once the clay arrived, its quality was not up to the required standard and additional clay was sourced,” Mr Thorpe said.
“The wet weather following the construction of the clay lining set the project back further.
“However, as long as we do not experience long or frequent periods of wet weather in the coming months, we expect construction to be complete by December.”
Mr Thorpe said the council was still calculating the additional costs caused by the delay.
The council’s draft budget for 2019-20 allocated $7.125 million to design and construct new cells at the tip.
The council last year had to fork out an extra $847,000 when the contractors re-quoted the project to comply with Environment Protection Authority regulations not originally taken into account.
Contractors Mackenzie Environmental, originally awarded the $380,000 contract (with a $50,000 contingency) to build cell 5 in November 2016, re-quoted the job for $1.161 million (plus a contingency of $116,100).
The new quote included a groundwater collection system, an additional geotech-style membrane and increased testing and sampling.
The council also spent about $475,000 fighting a Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal review into the EPA’s decision to approve four new cells at the Wests Road landfill.
