Seawater danger study ignored

DANGEROUS pathogens can remain in sea water for up to 12 weeks, contradicting Sydney Water's claims about monitoring at its desalination plant.

THE dangerous pathogens cryptosporidium and giardia can remain infectious in sea water for up to 12 weeks, contradicting Sydney Water's reason for not monitoring their levels in water pumped from its Kurnell desalination plant.

The authority monitors cryptosporidium and giardia at its other plants across the Sydney basin, but claims monitoring is unnecessary at the $1.9 billion Kurnell facility, in Sydney's south, which supplies 15 per cent of the city's homes, because the organisms die quickly upon entering the ocean.

The Kurnell plant's seawater intake is just 2.5km from the Cronulla near-shore sewage outfall.

Studies published more than a decade ago by Australian and international academics show that certain protozoans "were infectious after 12 weeks" in sea water, under certain conditions.

However, Sydney Water seemingly ignored the findings, with a spokesman telling a Sydney newspaper earlier this week that neither cryptosporidium nor giardia were able to survive in sea water.

When asked yesterday by The Australian to explain the apparent oversight, Sydney Water spokesman Michael Charlton ended the conversation.

NSW opposition natural resources management spokeswoman Katrina Hodgkinson said there was "widespread public concern" over the quality and safety of water produced at the controversial Kurnell plant.

Her comments come in the wake of an erroneous report by Sydney Water that showed E.coli had been found in processed water at the Kurnell plant.

However, NSW Minister for Water Phil Costa last night defended the purity of the water from Kurnell, telling The Australian: "Let me reiterate I have complete confidence in the quality of Sydney's drinking water supplies."

He went on to claim that the quality of water from the Kurnell plant was "among the best in the world", but he would not be drawn on whether the levels of cryptosporidium and giardia should be monitored at Kurnell.

Greg Knight, a resident of the nearby suburb of Kareela, said: "If there's no problem then why don't they test it properly?

"They test for cryptosporidium and giardia in other areas. Why can't they test for it here?"

Sydney Water managing director Kerry Schott said earlier this week that drinking water produced by the Kurnell plant went through a multi-stage process and was completely safe.

Documents obtained by The Australian show the state government knew before construction was approved that treated sewage would be able to reach the plant's seawater intake.