Dust Suppression FAQs

Road nominations for the 2024 program have now closed. Applications for the December 2025 dust suppression program will open on Monday 29 January 2025.

If you want to talk to an officer before making a submission, you can contact us online at Lodge a Request or call 5261 0600.

In November each year we assess all requests received, taking into consideration the volume, type and speed of passing traffic, and proximity and number of homes close to the road before finalising the dust suppression program for the coming summer.

All residents who have made an application will be advised whether their request has been successful.

If you want to talk to us about your application or want to talk to an officer before making a submission, you can contact us via our Lodge a Request form or alternatively you can contact Customer Service on 5261 0600.

Each application is assessed upon but not limited to the following criteria:

• Traffic Count ( typical minimum volume of 50 vehicles per day ).
• Percentage of heavy vehicles.
• Is it on a bus route?
• 85th percentile speed ( defines the speed that at least 85 percent of drivers are driving ).
• Number of houses that are within 50m of the road segment.

Meeting one, some, or all the criteria does not warrant automatic inclusion in the program. Each criteria have a range assigned and associated scoring which is then compiled to generate an overall score of each road segment.

Each application is attributed to a segment of road based on the Road Register and an extent of proposed works is assigned, then the segment is assessed for inclusion.

Officers endeavor to have recent traffic count data on each segment that has received an application. Recent is classified within the previous 5 years. 

The main component within the dust suppression product is Magnesium Chloride, which has been in use globally for road compaction/stabilisation and dust suppression as well as for road de-icing applications for many decades.

The use of Magnesium Chloride for road stabilisation and dust suppression has been approved by many government environmental bodies worldwide, incl. but not limited to;

• Ministry of Transportation and Highways, British Columbia, Canada
• USDA Forest Service, Gallatin National Forest, Bozeman, Montana.
• Victorian Department of Conservation and Environment, Melbourne Water Catchment Areas

The human toxicity and ecotoxicity of Magnesium Chloride has been widely studied, from uses as an FDA approved health and rejuvenation remedy to agricultural soil remediation additive. 

Under Council's current dust suppression contract, the product used is:

• DustMag is a proprietary blend that has been designed and developed specifically for dust suppression, stabilisation and as a compaction agent.
• Clear light orange product and odourless with an approximate pH of 6.5.
• Main component is Magnesium Chloride, which has been in use globally for road compaction/stabilisation and dust suppression as well as for road de-icing applications for many decades.
• DustMag is applied topically directly to the road surface via specialist application truck or watercart, typically between 1.5L – 2.0L / m2.
• DustMag is absorbed into the road surface and stays within the top clay structure of the road.
• Based on current knowledge of the ecotoxicity and the dilution rates in the practical application, the overall environmental risk of using DustMag is considered to be low.