When Wollongong City and the EPA claim each other is leading a crackdown on building pollution, but then the council doesn't actually conduct any inspections.

That's the situation which has unfolded after the Environment Protection Authority announced Wollongong - along with several other councils - would be part of a "compliance blitz" on runoff from construction sites, called Get the Site Right.

The campaign would "run throughout May with a one-day inspection blitz on Thursday, 19 May", the EPA said in April.

Read more: Lord Mayor says companies have 'moral obligation' to stop building runoff

But when the Mercury asked the EPA where the inspections would happen, a spokesperson said Wollongong City Council would be leading this process.

"The respective councils make the decisions around which sites they'll be inspecting so you'll need to speak to them for details," a spokesman said.

And when the Mercury asked Wollongong City Council where the inspections would be, or had taken place, the council eventually made clear it was not conducting any - and called it an "EPA blitz day initiative".

"Council continues its ongoing compliance activities to protect the environment and educate builders on the best practice in construction site, and another targeted blitz is planned before the end of the year," a council spokeswoman said.

"This is in addition to other council-led activities that are in development, which will target building site compliance and support the 'Get the Site Right' campaign.''

Read more: Wombarra residents say they had warned of runoff problems

The city council said had it conducted 55 inspections on building sites last November, which had found 18 sites were "non-compliant". Council officers "raised awareness" with the builders and "under the campaign, the focus was on compliance education rather than financial penalties".

This was all before the torrential rains of March this year, when some of the worst construction runoff in memory occurred in Wombarra, where rain washed masses of earth from excavation works across the road, through private properties and onto the ocean rock shelf below, infuriating nearby residents.

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