Earlier this week, the pool was closed and residents warned to steer clear of Hewitts Creek after a blocked pipe caused wastewater to overflow.

Sydney Water was alerted to a “wastewater network issue” at a home on Lachlan Street, Thirroul, on December 3.

A maintenance crew found that tree roots had blocked a wastewater pipe, causing an overflow.

Precautionary signs were put up along the creek, including one on the Kelton Lane bridge that stated: “This area may be affected by sewage overflow”.

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The sign also warned people to avoid the area, not to swim or fish in the water and to keep pets away.

Sydney Water notified Wollongong City Council of the overflow and the Thirroul Pool was closed last weekend as a result.

The pool’s intake pipes are located near the creek outlet where potential contaminants were anticipated to flow into the sea.

The council said it shut the pool as a precaution while Sydney Water and the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) investigated.

The blockage was cleared the day it was found, a Sydney Water spokeswoman said, with testing carried out on December 4.

“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,” the spokeswoman told the Mercury earlier this week. 

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“Initial laboratory results were returned today [Monday] and all sites are within bacteriological guidelines.”

Further sampling and testing has since been undertaken. 

On Friday, the spokeswoman said those water tests had come back clear and the warning signs had been removed.

The council said the pool would reopen at 6am on Saturday.