You can research your site’s past use and find out about its potential for the presence of contamination. This is one of the first steps EPA expects you to take if you manage or control industrial or commercial land.
You can find out what’s in your soil with our new citizen science program, GardenSafe.
There are databases, websites and other sources of information you can use to learn about your land’s past use. You can also ask your local council about your site and nearby sites.
Victoria Unearthed has site information from a range of sources. It is a starting point if you want to research a piece of land or area. It’s not the definitive final source of information about current contamination, but includes the following:
- Environmental audits
- Groundwater contamination maps
- Victorian Landfill Register
- A range of Sands and McDougall business directories for 1860 to 1974.
- EPA Priority Sites Register: sites for which EPA has issued remedial notices under the Environment Protection Act 1970 relating to land and groundwater contamination.
- Environmental audit overlay: a planning tool local councils and planning authorities use. It can help you identify sites councils have identified with suspected, potential or known contamination.
Other land use information sources
- The planning department of the local council.
- Landata aerial photos. These may show changing land use over decades.
- Vicplan for planning information.
- Dial Before You Dig referral service.
- Visualising Victoria’s Groundwater for information on Victoria’s groundwater.
- Potentially contaminated land General Practice Note 30. Provides information on the Victorian Planning system requirements for identifying and assessing potentially contaminated land.
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Reviewed 19 October 2022
