Air quality monitoring in Bendigo has not been ruled out as the Environmental Protection Authority considers ways to enhance its practices to better cover regional Victoria.

The last time the EPA monitored air pollution in Bendigo was from May 2004 to July 2005.

During that time the standards for PM10 – a type of pollutant associated with sea salt, pollen, dust or emissions from motor vehicles and industrial processes – was exceeded three times. Visibility was a problem on one day because of wind-blown dust.

In March a Victorian Auditor General’s report showed the EPA did not provide air quality for most of the state, despite a 2001 plan to cover Bendigo and other regional cities.

Read more: Environmental Protection Authority considering ways to better monitor regional air quality