‘SHUT it down’ the EPA has told Venus Bay Caravan Park unless they can make their septic system fully compliant by Christmas.
“We just don’t have the money,” said park operator Tony Holgate.
With the peak summer season just over a month away, Tony says his park is fully booked from Christmas Eve with only a few sites left for Easter. The Venus Bay Caravan Park has a total of 124 sites including annual sites, cabins, powered sites and unpowered sites accommodating up to 500 holidaymakers over January.
The EPA was first notified of a problem with the park’s septic system two years ago.
“A complaint was made to the EPA after a blockage during the busy January period,” said Tony.
“The blockage was fixed within an hour, but the EPA had already been notified.”
The EPA found the caravan park had ‘slipped through the gap’ and its septic system was non-compliant.
‘We were not aware there was a caravan park at Venus Bay with a septic system’ claimed the EPA.
The caravan park was told it needed to comply with current standards.
“They tested the water table,” said Tony.
The water table beneath the caravan park and the water table beneath the whole of Venus Bay were found to be contaminated by non-compliant septic systems. The cost of making the caravan park septic system compliant has been estimated to be at least $600,000.
“It is not something a lessee could afford,” said Tony.
Holgate is in dispute with the property owner and EPA over who should pay for the compliance works producing a sheaf of paperwork centimetres thick.
“The EPA wants the issue resolved between the lessee and landlord,” said Tony.
“Who’s going to pay? The EPA argues that it is a new system, not an upgrade. There is no evidence it ever complied with Council regulations. The current system has been in place since the late seventies.”
The EPA is yet to give Tony Holgate a timetable for the remedial works.
“It is very frustrating,” said Tony.
“They want the caravan park to truck out the waste every day. That’s fifty-thousand litres, costing $50,000 a day.”
“Otherwise, we will have to shut down and the deadline is December. We can’t possibly comply by December.”
Tony Holgate says he will keep plugging away, but the park is fully booked.
According to Tony, the EPA told him if he couldn’t get a truck to cart away the waste, he would have to shut down the park without notice. The nearest caravan parks are at Sandy Point and
Inverloch, and they would also be fully booked according to Tony.
“The effect on the town would be devastating.
“Council has a plan for Venus Bay, but it would cost $2 million,” said Tony.
“They don’t have the budget, so the plan is on hold.”
Located in the heart of Venus Bay, the caravan park is just 600 metres from the surf beach and survives on bore water over summer.
“It’s a good little park,“ said Tony. “We have a pool, tennis court and games room.”
Tony Holgate has managed the park for thirteen years spending $400,000 over that time on maintenance and improvements.
“People come back year after year. Parents with children stay at the park for the Nippers program at the lifesaving club.”
Tony says he needs more time to settle the issue with the landlord.
“The time to resolve this is June next year. The work needs to be done during winter.”
The EPA confirmed Venus Bay Caravan Park has been issued with an EPA Improvement Notice requiring it to apply for the appropriate permission for the wastewater management system on its premises by December 20, 2024. Failure to comply with an Improvement Notice may lead to a fine’ according to the EPA.
For anyone operating or installing a wastewater management system the EPA recommends going to epa.vic.gov.au/about-epa/publications/onsite-wastewater-management-guidance.