System failure results in 10 million litres of unchlorinated sewage entering River Derwent

A 24-hour failure at a sewage treatment plant resulted in 10 million litres of unchlorinated treated wastewater flowing into the River Derwent.

The Macquarie Point wastewater treatment plant on the Hobart waterfront.

HOBART beaches will not be closed despite 10 million litres of sewage entering the River Derwent on New Year’s Eve.

TasWater on Wednesday confirmed the Macquarie Point wastewater treatment plant’s effluent chlorination process failed on Monday for 24 hours, resulting in the equivalent of four Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of treated but unchlorinated wastewater flowing into the river.

Tasmania’s Environment Protection Authority confirmed it had been notified and was investigating the incident.

“The EPA has been provided with situation reports and is seeking an incident investigation report from TasWater,” a spokesman said.

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TasWater said despite the failure of the chlorination – a process to reduce the bacteria in treated effluent – Hobart beachgoers shouldn’t be alarmed.

“Dispersion by tidal and river flows ensures the effluent remains clear of areas frequented by beach users,” a TasWater spokesman said.

“The chlorination process was reinstated as soon as the issue was identified and the plant is again fully operational.”

Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said she was questioning whether treated sewage would have negative health affects on Hobart beach users.

Councillor Reynolds said possible closures of Hobart beaches had not been discussed by council.

A council spokesman later said any decision to close Hobart beaches would be made on advice from TasWater.

Ten million litres of treated, but unchlorinated, effluent flowed into the River Derwent from the Macquarie Point wastewater treatment plant on Monday.

Clarence Mayor Doug Chipman said the Clarence City Council was made aware of the treatment plant failure on Tuesday but saw no need to shut down any of the Eastern Shore beaches.

“TasWater gave us a courtesy call letting the council know about the spill and advised that tidal and river flows indicated there would not be a problem with Clarence beaches,” he said.

“From a Clarence point of view we see no need to close beaches. We’ve been doing regular testing of beach waters which have shown no cause for concern. We are awaiting results of a test conducted on Wednesday.”

The health of the River Derwent is monitored weekly by the State Government’s Derwent Estuary Program.

Parts of Howrah, Nutgrove and Kingston beaches were closed for up to a week in February when Derwent Estuary Program monitoring found high bacteria counts in the water caused by heavy rainfall.

Derwent Estuary Program chief executive Ursula Taylor said the 24-hour sewage plant mishap should not have any long-term effects on the health of the river.

“I would expect it to be washed away without having a lasting impact on the river’s health,” she said.

Kingborough Mayor Dean Winter said he had not been notified about the incident but said results from water quality tests at Kingborough beaches were monitored frequently and beaches would be closed if deemed necessary.

The Department Health and Human Services declined to comment.