Clean up at Buckley’s Hole

By Alistair Gray

Thanks to the lowlifes who dumped construction waste, which included a lot of asbestos, on the edges of Buckley’s Hole Conversation Park, the City of Moreton Bay has had to employ a contractor to undertake the necessary remediation work to remove the asbestos.

The work is expected to take about 12 weeks to complete at a cost of $640,000. The waste discovery has resulted in employing contaminated land consultants in conjunction with the state government to ensure the safe removal of any asbestos-containing material and the management of any associated health risks. The extensive work required will include brush cutting of all vegetation excluding mature trees, herbicide control of all weeds and exotic grasses and raking of the top 100 - 300mm of soil, depending upon the area, with an excavator. Safe disposal of asbestos and careful air quality control monitoring is paramount.

The affected area along the edges of The Boulevard, Bongaree will be fenced off during the work. The stair access track opposite 15 Brake Street will remain closed until the staircase is renewed, with work expected to start shortly.

The good news is that much of the vegetation will be re-established using native tube stock and retention of mature trees to ensure the stability of the embankment. The area affected is away from the lake and water areas which make Buckley’s Hole unique and a habitat for a wide range of bird life, including migratory shorebirds.

For those locals who live or visit this area, it is hard to imagine this pristine area being violated in such a way. We thank the City of Moreton Bay team for their planned work to remediate the site safely.