Council said the works included in the 2022/23 budget would now cost $3 million, instead of the original $5 million estimate.
Mayor Laura Binks has welcomed the Environment Protection Authority rating as a great result for the shire.
“It is great news to note that council received approval from the EPA for a ‘type 3 cap’, which indicates that the site is a low-risk rural landfill,“ she said.
“As a result, there has been a $2 million saving in the cost for council to complete the works.”
Council has described the result as “incredible” given the EPA rarely approves this classification for rural landfill sites.
Council recently appointed Goulburn Valley-based Apex Earthworks as the contractor to carry out rehabilitation works to the site and included the project in the 2022/23 budget capital works program.
Cr Binks said the cost saving was welcome, but added that it was also important to ensure all environmental requirements were met.
“At council, we want to ensure the environment can prosper and flourish into the future,” Cr Binks said.
“The project has been budgeted at $3 million due to significant reshaping and importation of soil material to build the area up to the approved specification.
“It is something that council is required to do, and to continue to put it off would have resulted in further cost increases for something that would have inevitably had to have been completed.”
Council is also required, as stipulated by the EPA for the management of the site, to rehabilitate it and monitor for leachate, groundwater, surface water and settlement for the next 30 years.
Works are due to start in late October and are expected to be completed by mid-March, 2023.
There will be no risk or interruption to the Violet Town community while the works are being carried out.
Hours at the Violet Town Transfer Station will remain the same during the works and traffic will be redirected to avoid any impact to transfer station users.
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