Sewage pumped into waterways near major walking trail and picnic areas

Sewage is being discharged into waterways near a major walking trail and popular picnic areas in Sydney Olympic Park — and joggers and cyclists aren’t happy.

Canada Bay councillor Andrew Ferguson and Amy Chieng with her children Alexia, Leo and Cassius at Black Creek in Concord West. Picture: John Appleyard

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SEWAGE is being discharged into waterways near a major walking trail and popular picnic areas in Sydney Olympic Park.

Joggers and cyclists have long complained about a “rank” smell in the area surrounding the Sydney Water pump station on Victoria Ave in Concord West.

When Sydney’s wastewater system is overloaded, stormwater and sewage overflows into Black Creek which links into mangroves, Powells Creek and the Parramatta River.

Canada Bay councillor Andrew Ferguson has raised public health concerns for families and visitors who flock to the park’s picnic and BBQ areas.

“This raises serious issues of hygiene with insects and birds possibly feeding in the sewage and or water and then landing on picnic facilities,” he said.

“Sydney Water is the lead agency in the work that’s been done to clean up the Parramatta River but here they are acting in defiance of that objective.”

A Sydney Water sign warning of a sewage overflow has since been taken down.

Mr Ferguson also has environmental concerns for the “unique marine ecosystem” and migratory birds.

He and a resident told the Courier a sign warning of a potential “sewage overflow” was recently removed and replaced with new signs changing the word “sewage” to “wastewater” after Strathfield MP Jodi McKay raised the issue with the State Government.

Mr Ferguson felt the move was “misleading and disturbing”.

By the weekend the signs had been removed.

New signs warning of “wastewater overflow” were removed over the weekend. Sydney Water says they were put up as a precaution and were no longer needed.

Resident Amy Chieng said she was shocked to learn sewage was being discharged so near to a busy playground and recreational area.

“Fair enough if people aren’t walking past it but it’s one of the area’s most popular bike riding and walking trails connecting from Rhodes to Sydney Olympic Park, she said.

“I was wondering why it reeked and was so pungent every time I walked down there,” she said.

She said her five-year-old daughter could have easily put her hand in the dirty water and then stuck her hand in her mouth without her realising.

Eireann Cameron, who is part of a group who runs in the area every Saturday, likened the smell to a “really bad public toilet”.

“The smell always seems to be there and my son and daughter have stopped coming because the smell is so putrid,” she said.

Runner Eireann Cameron has likened the smell to a public toilet. Picture: AAP Image/Monique Harmer

But a Sydney Water spokesman said overflows only happen when there is intense rain, causing the station to “discharge a combination of mainly stormwater and some wastewater”.

“This is so excess flows are directed away from areas where they could impact on public health or the environment like customer’s properties,” he said.

“The use of the term wastewater more accurately reflects an overflow incident as it acknowledges that the water in our sewage treatment systems includes waters other than domestic sewage, including the presence of stormwater.”

City of Canada Bay Andrew Ferguson has raised public health and environmental concerns. Picture: John Appleyard

He said Sydney Water installed signage, conducted water quality monitoring and inspected the pump station after responding to reports of odour on November 24.

“At this stage, Sydney Water hasn’t identified any operational issues that would result in an overflow to the environment,” he said.

The signs were put up as a “precaution” and then taken down “because the job is complete”.

“The risk to marine life and migratory birds is diminished by the transient nature of the discharge, the high level of tidal flushing of Powell’s Creek with marine water and the transient residence of migratory birds at the wetland,” he said.

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“Sydney Water encourages the public to follow the advice from the Department of Environment and Heritage, to avoid swimming during and for three days after rainfall or for as long as stormwater is present.”

The agency has invested more than $1.5 billion in wet weather overflow abatement since the late 1990s.

The pumping station was recently renewed and has enough capacity to service the area’s booming population.