EPA warns TasWater after 1.23 million litre effluent spill into River Derwent at Macquarie Point

Tasmania’s water and sewage utility has been issued a warning by the environmental regulator after a 1.23 million litre effluent spill – but the Greens say further penalties are needed.

TasWater has copped a warning from the environmental regulator after a mechanical fault at its Macquarie Point sewage treatment plant resulted in a spill of more than one million litres of partially treated effluent into the Derwent River.

It comes after six million litres of raw sewage flowed into the river in 2019 following a power failure at the facility.

On the evening of February 4 this year, a fault in the plant’s chlorine dosing system resulted in an estimated 1.23 megalitres of partially treated, non-disinfected effluent into the Derwent over a two-and-a-half hour period before the issue was addressed.

TasWater failed to notify the Environment Protection Authority of the incident within the legislated 24-hour time frame, prompting the regulator to issue it a warning notice.

“The requirement to notify the EPA was missed at the time but rectified the next business day,” a TasWater spokeswoman said.

Macquarie Point Wastewater Treatment Plant on Macquarie Wharf.

“TasWater has reviewed its processes to mitigate notification delays in the future.”

The spokeswoman said TasWater’s monitoring had shown there was “rapid dilution from the outfall”.

“The short duration of this event combined with limited recreational access to the outfall is unlikely to have created any significant public health risk,” she said.

The EPA determined that no further action was required against TasWater beyond a warning notice.

“The EPA considered the aggravating and mitigating circumstances, and a determination was made that a warning notice was the appropriate regulatory action,” an EPA spokeswoman said.

“The direct environmental impacts would be quite minor due to the size (of the spill), passing current and tidal exchange within the receiving environment.”

Greens environment spokeswoman Rosalie Woodruff described the EPA as “toothless” and said it should have slapped TasWater with a fine for the incident.

Greens spokeswoman Rosalie Woodruff speaks to the media in Hobart on Monday, May 23, 2022.

“This is a second massive effluent spill that TasWater has failed to report in a timely fashion,” she said.

“It’s totally unacceptable TasWater considers itself above the law, and has not reported within required time frames. This second spill is a litmus test for the new ‘independent’ EPA, and we expect to see the EPA enforce the law for a repeat offender.

“The impacts of agriculture, salmon hatcheries, stormwater and sewage spills add huge pressures to this degraded river’s health.

“Without strong penalties and strict monitoring for TasWater’s continued treatment of the river as a waste sewer, nothing will turn the tide.”

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