Earthquake risk at Eraring power station closes Myuna Bay recreation centre
The NSW Office of Sport has taken the extraordinary step of closing the Myuna Bay Recreation Centre effective immediately due to the threat a major earthquake could pose on a nearby power station.
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The NSW Office of Sport has closed the Myuna Bay Recreation Centre effectively immediately due to the threat a major earthquake could pose on a nearby power station.
Myuna Bay is a popular school camp destination situated on the banks of southern Lake Macquarie.
An ash dam at the nearby Eraring power station, operated by Origin Energy, “could be affected in the event of a major earthquake” and, given the recreation centre sits downhill from the ash dam, it would be at significant risk if the dam wall was breached.
“As part of our ongoing maintenance and monitoring of the Eraring ash dam, late last year Origin commissioned an engineering review of the facility,” read a statement released by Origin on Friday.
“This review found that while the dam is stable, this could be affected in the event of a major earthquake.
“Origin recently contacted the NSW Office of Sport to discuss the findings of the review … On our advice, the Office of Sport has agreed to close the centre to ensure the safety of clients and staff.”
Lake Macquarie state independent MP Greg Piper said the decision posed more questions than answers.
“Origin Energy and the Office of Sport need to be honest with the community and tell us why a senior bureaucrat with the Office of Sport thought it was so important to close the centre now while the government is in caretaker mode, and just days before a new Sports Minister is appointed.
“The community deserves answers and not the betrayal it’s being shown.
“Almost overnight, the centre is being closed down. Are we going to start closing
down every other building or community facility that might be at risk from a
5.9-magnitude earthquake? None of this makes sense.
“This is a decision that has been made without any public consultation, and it would
appear that it’s been designed to blindside staff, myself and the broader community.”
Origin executive general manager of energy supply and operations Greg Jarvis said: “While we understand that the likelihood of a serious seismic event is low, and that a breach of the dam wall is therefore very unlikely, we are taking the only responsible measure by acting on the basis of a worst-case scenario.”
Origin Energy has offered to compensate the government and this is the subject of continuing negotiations.
“We understand the significance of the centre to the local community and acknowledge the inconvenience that this closure causes,” Mr Jarvis said.
“We would like to thank the NSW Office of Sport for acting expediently on our advice. We have already completed engineering studies on improvements to the ash dam wall, and we will do everything we can to finalise this as quickly as possible.”
Origin intends to close the station at the end of its operating life by 2032.
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