Albert River sewage leak: Gold Coast City Council to get independent consultants to investigate
There’s been a fresh twist in the discovery of a sewage leak into the Albert River, regarded as the Gold Coast’s worst environmental disaster. LATEST UPDATE
Council
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An independent investigation will be launched into the sewage leak into the Albert River, regarded as the Gold Coast’s worst environmental disaster due to a breakdown of infrastructure.
The council on Monday was under pressure to undertake an inquiry after Gecko and the Wildlife Association of Queensland Gold Coast branch responded to reports in The Bulletin.
At least 364 million litres of sewage – close to 145 Olympic swimming pools full – had spilt into the river from a pipe leak which began as early as mid-January.
The council confirmed “an external consultant will be engaged to undertake an independent investigation”.
The Bulletin understands that on Friday the council administration had begun undertaking its own investigation and senior management acknowledged it would require input from independent assessors.
Mayor Tom Tate on Monday was meeting with northern councillor Mark Hammel at council chambers, with both understood to be strongly supportive of an independent inquiry.
Councillor Hammel lives on the Logan River downstream from the sewer leak, and on the weekend raised concerns about the system breakdown after details of the release of sewage were made public.
“This is a significant environmental incident. Understanding who or whom or what processes have failed here to lead to this needs to be investigated … and appropriate accountability taken,” Cr Hammel said.
The Gecko Environment Council, responding to the Bulletin’s report, said: “A full and transparent investigation is urgently needed. As the population of the Gold Coast continues to explode, we ask what provision is being made to ensure essential infrastructure like sewerage systems can cope and are adequately monitored.”
Gecko leaders said they like many others were “very disturbed that this situation was allowed to continue for so long” endangering the health of residents and wildlife around the river.
“As the population of the Gold Coast continues to explode, we ask what provision is being made to ensure essential infrastructure like sewerage systems can cope and are adequately monitored,” Gecko said.
“Not so long ago there was a similar leak into Tallebudgera Creek and again the community was only informed with a couple of uninformative signs.
“Does council have enough staff to ensure the competency and safety of our sewerage systems. Is it good enough to have the excess treated effluent being pumped out to sea.”
GECKO also cautioned Mayor Tate about proceeding with “big ticket items” promised in the recent poll and asked him to focus instead on essential infrastructure.
Wildlife Queensland Gold Coast and Hinterland branch leader Sally Spain said improved sewerage facilities were needed given the fast growing population in the city’s north.
“Some reassurance all is under control and precisely planned would be nice, especially for those living by Albert River,” she said.
“The effects on platypus and other river fauna by less than adequate guardianship will be a matter of serious investigation, won’t it. Examination as to causes of this disgraceful protracted spillage will be ascertained, won’t they.”
EARLIER:
At least 364 million litres of sewage – close to 145 Olympic swimming pools full – has spilt into the Albert River, after Gold Coast council finally confirmed the pipe leak started months ago.
Gold Coast City Council is facing accusations of keeping a lid on one of the city’s worst environmental disasters, caused by an unprecedented breakdown in its waste systems.
“This is the biggest environmental incident to have occurred on the Gold Coast. It’s a huge failure of a critical piece of infrastructure,” a council source said.
The Bulletin in a report last Monday revealed a busted sewer pipe had caused untreated effluent to flow into the southern side of Albert River, just east of the Pacific Motorway.
Council in responding to questions did not provide an answer to when the leak first occurred, but later admitted losses of sewerage were “in the vicinity of 4 mega litres per day”.
Late on Friday – four days later – in an update council said an initial investigation showed the sewage spill from an underground pipeline “may have commenced in mid-January 2024”.
Some sources say the spill started in the second week of January, others suggest December. They estimate the sewerage leak to be between 350 and 400 million litres.
A council whistleblower, aware of the investigation, said: “There has been a major sewage spill into the Albert River and council is downplaying the event to the media. We have found that at least 400 million litres of raw sewage has gone into the river since as early as December last year.
“There was a complete failure in a 450mm rising sewer main that neither Gold Coast or Logan councils detected.
“This allowed a continuous real ease of 4 million plus litres a day. The prawn farms downstream of the spill who supply prawns to the big supermarket chains have been told to stop production while Queensland Health officers conduct testing.
“There has been a massive amount of PFAS (synthetic chemicals which can cause health defects) released into the environment as a result of the spill.”
The broken pipe takes sewage from Gold Coast’s northern suburbs, and it crosses under the river, feeding into Logan City’s Beenleigh wastewater treatment plant at Eagleby. Northern-based councillor Mark Hammel, after the most recent council update, said he had major concerns about the infrastructure breakdown.
“I’m pretty concerned and frustrated as a resident, especially someone who lives on the Logan River, that this has been going on for so long,” Cr Hammel said.
“I’m really concerned that a City that is sophisticated enough to have smart meters at people’s homes that we can send the letters when their (water) usage is up has somehow managed to have millions of litres of raw sewage flow into a river and not know about it.
“This is a significant environmental incident. Understanding who or whom or what processes have failed here to lead to this needs to be investigated and found out, and appropriate accountability taken.”
Council in its latest statement said it continued to work with environmental regulators following the detection of a sewage spill on April 8.
Repairs on the sewer main, which was detected in a paddock near the Albert River in the Yatala/Stapylton area, were completed on April 12, a council spokesman said.
Results of microbial testing confirm the river is safe for recreational use but “in an abundance of caution” Queensland Health recommends seafood caught in the tidal reaches of Albert or Logan River not be consumed until further notice.
“Queensland Health recommends any person who believes that they have become unwell from consuming fish they have caught to contact their GP for further advice,” the council spokesman said.
“We will continue to assess water quality and address any potential risks in consultation with Queensland Health, the Department of Environmental Science and Innovation and Safe Food Queensland.
“The City is supporting Safe Food Queensland to engage with the Aquaculture industry to assess any impacts to their operations. Safe Food Queensland is the lead agency for engagement with the Aquaculture Industry.
“We are also working with landowners and businesses in the area which may have been impacted by the spill.”
The Bulletin had before Friday’s update asked the Environment Department when the sewage leak began, given sources suggested it was months ago.
A Department spokesman said council was responding to a “significant sewage spill” and DESI officers were investigating the cause and ensuring City officers were taking the necessary steps to reduce any ongoing risks.
HOW THE STINK BEGAN:
* On the weekend of April 13-14, sources tell The Bulletin about a long term sewerage spill.
* On April 15, the Bulletin sends off questions to Gold Coast City, having secured pictures of two signs warning swimmers and fishermen, and of overflow in open drains. The signage went up two weeks after the spill was identified. Residents reported tankers sucking up sewerage at a pump station near the Yatala pie shop.
* At the same time on the Monday, councillors are briefed in a confidential session. The City in its response said the pipe was repaired on the previous Friday – only refers to a “significant amount” being spilt. An update says “in the vicinity of 4 mega litres per day”
* Reacting to The Bulletin report, a fisherman on Tuesday on Facebook says: “Been broken for a lot longer I reckon – I was dry reaching up there a month ago nor far from the M1 bridge near the distillery seen water flowing in from a little drain and absolutely stunk”.
* A council whistleblower says: “There has been a major sewage spill into the Albert River and council is downplaying the event to the media. There was a complete failure in a 450mm rising sewer main that neither Gold Coast or Logan councils detected.”
* The Bulletin puts this to the Environment Department, that “the leak started months ago”. Their response is officers are working with council.
* At 6.40pm on Friday, the City in an update says the spill “may have commenced in mid-January 2024”.
SHOCK TWIST IN SEWERAGE LEAK INTO MAJOR GOLD COAST WATERWAY
The Gold Coast City Council has admitted a massive sewerage spill from one of its broken pipes into the Albert River could have started as early as mid-January.
Northern-based councillor Mark Hammel on Saturday, after the council issued an update, said he had significant concerns about the infrastructure breakdown.
“I’m pretty concerned and frustrated as a resident, especially someone who lives on the Logan River, that this has been going on for so long,” Mr Hammel said.
“I really concerned that a city that is sophisticated enough to have smart meters at people’s homes that we can send the letters when their (water) usage is up has someone managed to have millions of litres of raw sewerage flow into a river and not know about it.
“This is a significant environmental incident. Understanding who or whom or what processes have failed here to lead to this needs to be investigated and found out, and appropriate accountability taken.”
The Bulletin on Monday last week revealed the busted sewer pile had caused
untreated effluent to flow into the Albert River in the north of the Gold Coast. The river flows into the Logan River and then southern Moreton Bay.
Questions were sent to council asking when did the city first become aware of a spill from a broken sewerage main and whether it was a “slow leak which began some time ago”.
The council was also asked about only having two signs up warning swimmers and fishermen.
But the City declined to provide those details.
The council in a response on Monday said: “The City was alerted to a sewer main break in a paddock near the Albert River in the Yatala/Stapylton area early last week and immediately began work on repairs. Those repairs were successfully completed on Friday.
“As a result of the break, a significant amount of sewage was spilt.”
In a later update on the Monday, the council said: “The extent of the leak is still being calculated but it is estimated, that loses were in the vicinity of 4 mega litres per day. Detailed investigation to quantify the duration and total of the loss are currently underway.”
In its latest update, on Friday evening, a city spokeswoman said: “An initial investigation has indicated the sewage spill from the underground pipeline may have commenced in mid-January 2024.
“A detailed investigation is underway to fully understand the cause and duration of the spill.
“Results of microbial testing has confirmed that the river is safe for recreational use, but in an abundance of caution Queensland Health recommends seafood caught in the tidal reaches of Albert or Logan River is not consumed until further notice.
“Queensland Health recommends any person who believes that they have become unwell from consuming fish they have caught to contact the GP for further advice.”
“We will continue to assess water quality and address any potential risks in consultation with Queensland Health, the Department of Environmental Science and Innovation and Safe Food Queensland.
“The City is supporting Safe Food Queensland to engage with the Aquaculture industry to assess any impacts to their operations. Safe Food Qld is the lead agency for engagement with the Aquaculture Industry.
“We are also working with landowners and businesses in the area which may have been impacted by the spill.”
The Bulletin understands the council issued the update after Queensland Health became heavily involved in the investigation.
EARLIER:
A major sewerage pipe linking to a waste water treatment plant has broken causing untreated effluent to flow into the Albert River in the north of the Gold Coast.
Residents have spotted more than 20 tankers working to suck up sewerage from a pipe near the Yatala Pie factory, to relieve pressure on the system as teams repaired the leak by the river.
They have accused council of keeping the lid on the environmental disaster for at least a week with only a council sign by a roadside and taped section off a pedestrian walkway warning of an “environmental incident” and advising against swimming or fishing.
“It’s raw sewerage and it’s going through a very big pipe into the Albert River. The pipe goes to the Beenleigh treatment plant,” a resident said.
The council on Monday when contacted by the Bulletin confirmed the spill, admitted it was “significant” but added that initial water testing showed the risks to recreational users had been “low”. Signage had been placed in the appropriate area, the council said.
A local fisherman said there was no warning signs on the river south of the old Beenleigh Rum Distillery.
“The river is dead at the moment,” the fisherman said.
The Bulletin understands the pipe is about 450mm and runs under the Albert River to the Beenleigh Wastewater Treatment Plant, taking sewerage from Coast homes at Yatala and Bethania.
Safe Food Production Queensland late on Friday sent emails to commercial operators alerting them to a “sewerage spill from a broken sewerage main located at the Albert River in close proximity to the eastern side of the M1”.
The river flows into the Logan River and discharges into Moreton Bay, operators were told.
“The sewage spill is not ongoing. We are working with other authorities to urgently conduct a risk-based water quality assessment and determine any potential implications that this event may have on Safe Food accredited businesses operating in this area,” the government department said.
“In the meantime, we recommend that no seafood product that has been farmed, harvested or caught in this area is placed on hold and not supplied until authorities have assessed the potential risks.”
The department said the Gold Coast City Council Environmental Health Unit was “leading the investigation”.
Residents have inspected open drains which they believe are full of untreated effluent flowing into creeks to the east of the M1, south of the river.
“It absolutely reeks there. It smell of sewerage,” a resident said.
Commercial prawn farms operate about several kilometres east of where the spill occurred, but closer are the recreational fishermen and families using the river on the weekend.
City Executive General Manager Infrastructure Michael Kahler said the council was alerted to a sewer main break in a paddock near the Albert River in the Yatala/Stapylton area early last week and immediately began work on repairs.
“Those repairs were successfully completed on Friday. As a result of the break, a significant amount of sewage was spilt,” he said.
“The broken sewer was isolated and tankers were used to manage the flows of sewage at the upstream sewer pump station. The cause of the break is being investigated. Signage was placed in the area to alert people of the issue.”
Mr Kahler said targeted water quality monitoring testing has been conducted.
“The initial results of that testing have confirmed that risk to recreational users of the Albert and Logan rivers is low. Council will continue to assess water quality and address any potential risks in consultation with Qld Health, DESI and Safe Food Queensland,” he said.
“The City is working with the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, the Department of Environmental Science and Innovation and Food Safe Queensland in relation to the spill.
“We are also working with landowners and businesses in the area which may have been impacted by the spill. Our environment team has been on site assessing the area and taking any necessary steps.”
In an update on Tuesday, a City spokesman said: “The City continues to work with environmental regulators in relation to the sewage spill in the north of the City last week.
“Micro-biological testing results have confirmed that the Albert River is safe for recreational activities such as boating.
“We will continue to assess water quality and address any potential risks in consultation with Queensland Health, the Department of Environmental Science and Innovation and Safe Food Queensland.
“The City is supporting Safe Food Queensland to engage with the Aquaculture industry to assess any impacts to their operations. Safe Food Qld is the lead agency for engagement with the Aquaculture Industry.”
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