A tunnel located deep under Sydney’s eastern suburbs has been touted as a solution to Coogee Beach’s long-running stormwater woes, following years of complaints about pollution at the popular coastal strip.
In a major win for a community campaign to stop polluted stormwater flushing onto the beach after major rain events, the NSW government has revealed $7 million will be spent on a plan to divert stormwater to a new outlet, located north of the beach.
Tony Waller, governor of the Coogee Surf Life Saving Club, said polluted stormwater has been a perennial problem at Coogee BeachCredit: Thomas Wielecki
The pre-budget commitment follows decades of calls from residents for an overhaul of the century-old stormwater infrastructure, which discharges water via a main at the northern end of the beach.
Coogee Surf Life Saving Club governor Tony Waller said the beach can become so polluted that the usually pristine water is turned into a contaminated slurry.
“I’ve been a surf lifesaver for 50 years and during that entire time, when it rains, the bay fills up with stormwater, washing petrochemicals, faeces, pollutants and anything that’s in gutters into the beach,” he said.
“We have gross pollutant traps but they don’t stop all the pollution getting into the bay. It’s a big frustration for the community.”
The current stormwater outlet flushes water off the northern end of the beach.Credit: Rhett Wyman
Waller said the beach was often closed for at least 24 hours after major rain, meaning locals cannot swim and nippers and other events are cancelled.
“Most swimmers stay away, but there are always some people who decide to go into the water, either out of stupidity or just naivety, and if we have to go into water for a rescue we have to worry about getting sick with stomach upsets,” he added.
“We really need a permanent solution.”
NSW Water Minister Rose Jackson said the project would include a new underground pumping station and pressure main to divert stormwater away from the beach.
A concept image of the new stormwater diversion project.
Instead of discharging directly into Coogee Bay, stormwater will be pumped via an existing, but rarely used, Sydney Water tunnel to a new outlet located off Dunningham Reserve, north of Coogee Bay.
Jackson said work on the project is expected to commence this year.
“People love Coogee, but they’re rightly sick of the impacts of pollution when it rains [and] we’re putting an end to this shitty situation once and for all, so everyone can enjoy one the best beaches in the world,” she said.
The issue of sewage pollution at Coogee Beach has been a community concern since 2016, when the NSW government’s beach monitoring service’s State of the Beaches report downgraded Coogee’s water quality from “good” to “poor”.
In the most recent report, Coogee remained one of five ocean beaches in Sydney still ranked as “poor” alongside Shelly Beach, Bronte Beach, Malabar Beach and Boat Harbour.
The community effort to address these concerns previously led to the formation of resident-led action groups, including the Coogee Residents Against Polluting Stormwater, also known as “CRAPS”.
The project will be jointly funded by Randwick City Council, Sydney Water and the NSW government, with works to begin following final planning and approvals.
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