Thirroul residents have been warned to steer clear of Hewitts Creek – and the suburb’s pool has been closed until further notice – after a blocked pipe caused wastewater to overflow.
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Sydney Water has flushed the creek and taken water samples, amid concerns the area has been affected by sewage.
The organisation – which provides water and wastewater services across the Illawarra – was alerted to a “wastewater network issue” at a home on Lachlan Street, Thirroul, on December 3.
A Sydney Water spokeswoman said a maintenance crew was dispatched to the “high-priority” incident and found that tree roots had blocked a wastewater pipe, causing an overflow.
“Our initial response was to contain the wastewater to reduce the potential impact to the nearby creek,” the spokeswoman said.
Precautionary signs have been erected in the area, including one on the Kelton Lane bridge that states: “This area may be affected by sewage overflow”.
The sign also warns people to avoid the area, not to swim or fish in the water and to keep pets away.
The spokeswoman said the blockage was cleared the day it was found and an environmental assessment of the area – including the creek – was arranged to determine the extent of the clean-up required.
Field sampling and testing was carried out the following day.
“Sydney Water has undertaken a manual clean-up of the affected area and flushed the creek. Flushed water was pumped back into the wastewater network,” she said.
“Initial laboratory results were returned today [Monday] and all sites are within bacteriological guidelines.
“However, further sampling and testing is planned and as a precaution signage will remain in place until water quality monitoring provides evidence that the clean-up has been effective.”
The spokeswoman said a closed-circuit television camera inspection of the affected sewer would also be scheduled. “From the results of this survey, any further remedial actions deemed necessary will be carried out to minimise a recurrence of the overflow,” she said.
Sydney Water notified Wollongong City Council of the overflow and the Thirroul Pool was closed as a result.
“As Thirroul Pool’s intake pipes are located in the vicinity of the creek outlet where potential contaminants were anticipated to flow into the sea, council closed the pool as a precaution while Sydney Water and the EPA carried out their investigations,” a council spokeswoman said.
“The pool was closed for the weekend, and will be cleaned prior to reopening.
“We will reopen the pool once Sydney Water and the EPA have completed their investigations.”
Andrew Pearson
Andrew grew up in the western Riverina town of Hay and has strong ties to the region. He is a former DA journo who has a passion for breaking news and has covered everything from council and politics to crime and court.
Andrew grew up in the western Riverina town of Hay and has strong ties to the region. He is a former DA journo who has a passion for breaking news and has covered everything from council and politics to crime and court.
