SHE has been called “Erin f---ing Brockovich” by her opponents but Gundagai farmer Freda Nicholls is not backing down.
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Mrs Nicholls, along with a group of concerned landholders, will continue to hold corporate giant Visy to task on a waste dump.
Just like the character in the Erin Brockovich movie, Mrs Nicholls is determined to leave no stone unturned to protect water and soil quality and safety.
This week opposition spokeswoman for environment Penny Sharpe raised issues about the dump in state parliament.
According to Hansard, Mrs Sharpe said: “In relation to potential groundwater contamination from the landfill site at 303 Burra Road Gundagai: What action has been taken as a result of reports from the Department of Primary Industries and an independently commissioned hydrologist that there are elevated salt levels in Spillbury Creek?” Environment minister Mark Speakman now has 35 days to respond.
Mrs Nicholls said issues about leachate seeping into groundwater and contaminating the Murrumbidgee were raised in parliament too.
“These questions are just some that we are awaiting written replies for from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),” she said.
She said the Gundagai Community Environmental Impact Group wanted to independent analysis of the site focusing on it’s suitability for Visy grits and dregs.
Mrs Nicholls said Visy workers called grits and dregs “black liquor” and the waste was known to contain a list of contaminants.