A car remains in the lake at Broadmeadows’ Jack Roper Reserve more than nine months after it was dumped because police and Melbourne Water are unable to enter the lake’s toxic water.
Hume council will write to Melbourne Water asking for the car to be removed as soon as E-coli in the lake falls to a safe level.
The popular lake has been closed to the public since July last year, when it became contaminated following a fire at SKM’s Coolaroo recycling plant.
The lake is used by Sailability North, which provides sailing classes to students from special development schools and local disability groups.
Cr Jodi Jackson said the car was dumped in the lake just prior to the fire.
“Unfortunately, [police] weren’t able to deal with the car and weren’t even able to inspect it to make sure there isn’t a dead body in there because the E-coli in the water was at an unsafe level.
Cr Karen Sherry said it was a concern that Sailability North hadn’t been able to use the lake for more than nine months.
“The effects of the fire at the SKM facility haven’t gone away,” she said. “We don’t have many places where we can go boating.”
Melbourne Water regional manager Emily Phillips said the organisation was regularly monitoring the quality of water.
“Signage currently on the site will be removed once water quality has returned to safe levels,” she said.
“Other work, including the removal of a vehicle dumped in the lake will also take place once water quality is safe.”
