Resident activists, such as Bruce Light from Yarraville On The Nose, fear this initiative "will lead to another two years of talking, and nothing else."

Professor Jones says Mr Light may be right. "We need a whole lot of people to approve and contribute to make it happen ... but we're having a dead-set crack at fixing the problem," he says.

The problem is a 300-hectare sand-pit near Kororoit Creek that contains abattoirs, current and closed landfills, heavy-recycling industries, container yards – and unsealed roads.

When it rains, tons of contaminated and nutrient-rich sediment is washed into the creek, making it a death pool for fish. Most of the budget and planning in the council initiative is dedicated to creating an integrated water management system where the stormwater is recycled. It is thought – more of a guess – that better water management will help control the dust that gets picked up by trucks, taken out to the main road and whipped into the air by northerly winds.

The residents of Brooklyn and neighbouring Yarraville claim the dust has a negative impact on the health of the young, old and asthmatic. Bruce Light, 77, says the air makes him tired. He admits this could be a function of age, except he travels a lot – and always has more energy when he's elsewhere. "Dust monitoring by the EPA proves the air quality in Brooklyn fails to meet World Health Organisation standards," he says.