By Molly Magennis
Hobsons Bay council is calling for penalties to be imposed on the business responsible for the pollution incident in Cherry Lake.
Hobsons Bay mayor Peter Hemphill said the severity of the spill was unlike anything Hobsons Bay had experienced in recent times.
“When all of the details of this incident are known, and if laws have been breached, we hope that any conviction or punishment matches the severity of what has occurred within our environment,” he said.
“The message needs to be very loud and very clear.
“Since learning of this awful event, we have been out warning people to avoid the water entirely and to not eat any fish or eels caught in the Cherry Lake area.
“Cherry Lake is a popular destination for families to play, people to exercise and for anyone to fish and picnic. Over the long weekend, the warm weather drew many people to the reserve and the environmental disaster was obvious to everyone.
“We share the community’s concern. We know there is an enormous impact to the fish stock within the lake but the area is also popular for birdlife and the effects on the wider biodiversity is still unknown but obviously something we are deeply worried about.”
Warning signs have been put in place around the creek and lake advising the public not to touch the water or eat the fish.
