HAZMAT crews, firefighters, council called to North Wollongong green spill

The multi-agency emergency unfolded just after 1pm on Thursday, November 2, when a council worker spotted green water flowing through a stormwater drain.

HAZMAT specialists, firefighters and council crews were called to the drain located near Lagoon Restaurant, at the northern end of Stuart Park.

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Fire and Rescue NSW Wollongong Station Officer Phil Parker said testing revealed the green substance was non-toxic and biodegradable.

"The assumption would be it's plumber's dye," he said.

"We haven't had a lot of rain and it could have been sitting in the drain for quite a while and just been flushed out."

Firefighters consulted with construction workers at the North Wollongong Surf Club build, but they had not been using the product.

Wollongong City Council has notified the NSW Environment Protection Authority of the incident.

"If anyone has information about the pollution event, please contact council," a spokesperson said.

This is the second green fluid spill in less than a month after a creek near Musgrave Place in Figtree turned bright green on October 19.

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That spill was found to have come from Unanderra where large concrete slabs were removed from the top of a drain and the fluid dumped inside.

HAZMAT specialists were unable to determine what the product was, but said it was non-toxic.

On April 27, a similar incident happened in a waterway off Gipps Street in Wollongong.

The pollutant was identified as Span 85, a biodegradable surfactant used in many industrial applications.

The Mercury has contacted Wollongong City Council for a response about this latest spill.

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