EPA Chief Executive Tony Circelli, representing the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation Ian Hunter, led proceedings to mark the completion of the rehabilitation of a 1960s landmark waste dump in September.
The Garden Island rehabilitation project which took 8 years to complete was recognised by a special on-site ceremony to mark the occasion.
The site, located south-east of Torrens Island, in the Barker Inlet, was first used as a waste dump by the Port Adelaide Enfield Council before its operation was transferred to the Western Region Waste Management Authority (WRWMA) in 1982.
The EPA managed the operational licence that included as part of its conditions for the 54-hectare landfill site, to be rehabilitated after its closure in 2001.
Mr Circelli said that 4 years later, an agreement was signed between WRWMA, Renewal SA and the EPA to rehabilitate the landfill site.
“The rehabilitation program involved capping the landfill with an estimated 1.4 million tonnes of clay and soil, while also planting hundreds of native grasses, trees and shrubs,” he said.
“In addition to this work, there was the management of stormwater, groundwater and landfill gas including flaring and oxidisation through the soil.”
Mr Circelli said the collaborative efforts of the four councils and commitment by the WRWMA has been realised through this project for the benefit of future generations.