The Environment Protection Authority is asking the Barro Group, which runs a concrete-mixing and rock-crushing plant at the site in Sunshine Avenue, Kealba, to collect regular data to gauge the impact that dust has on the area.

EPA manager of pollution response, Richard Marks, said it recently undertook a detailed review of data from earlier monitoring by Barro, Brimbank Council and the EPA. It found the area had a high background level of dust and the quarry was "likely to be a contributing source".

"The monitoring program will enable us to assess any impact of fine dust on the residents against health-based standards and to know how much is contributed by the Barro Group site," Mr Marks said.

"The raw data collected from this will be provided to the EPA for interpretation."

In August, the council turned down a controversial proposal from Barro to transform the quarry into a rubbish tip.

The developer last year applied to the council to establish a solid, inert-waste landfill at the 55-hectare location.

Residents protested strongly, saying they feared the proposal would cause pollution, a drop in property values and increased traffic on local roads.

The project was turned down by administrators because it did not have the required 200-metre buffer zone and did not satisfy the requirements of the Brimbank planning scheme.

Residents Against the Sunshine Kealba Quarry secretary Marilyn Canet this week said she believed the EPA had acted irresponsibly in the management of the quarry site for many years.

She said the EPA had failed to address amenity impacts and health issues and had not conducted environmental monitoring of dust, about which residents have long complained.

Mr Marks said the EPA was committed to supporting the community.

He said the EPA had advised the council that until dust emissions were acceptable and it was demonstrated that the additional activity of the landfill would not cause dust emissions, a permit should not be issued.