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Sydney Water Corporation has been ordered to pay $240,000 over a sewage spill at Carramar in Sydney, after pleading guilty to two offences in the Land and Environment Court.
The company failed to maintain its plant and equipment and failed to provide the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) with information and records.
The conviction relates to two wastewater discharge incidents in July and August 2022, which released around 423,000 litres of untreated sewage into the area around Waterside Crescent, including Carrawood Reserve and Prospect Creek.
The spill heavily impacted a residential property, and affected a walking path, regenerated bushland, a sports field and surrounding waterways.
NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Executive Director of Operations Stephen Beaman said this pollution event had a significant impact on the local environment and community.
"This was a serious pipeline issue that resulted in hundreds of thousands of litres of wastewater entering a suburban park and nearby creek over 34 hours. The community expects better, and so do we," Mr Beaman said.
"The overflow was caused by a breakdown in Sydney Water's wastewater infrastructure, which had not been properly maintained.
"Popular sports field Carrawood Reserve was closed to the public following the spill, while sewage flowing into Prospect Creek caused increased turbidity and odour in the water for around two weeks after the event.
"Sydney Water holds an Environment Protection Licence to operate essential infrastructure, and with that comes a clear responsibility to prevent pollution and respond quickly when things go wrong."
His Honour Justice Beasley delivered the judgment, imposing:
- $225,000 for breaching Sydney Water's Environment Protection Licence; and
- $15,000 for failing to provide information and records without lawful excuse.
Justice Beasley convicted Sydney Water of both offences and applied a 25 per cent discount for an early guilty plea.
Mr Beaman said the second offence involved Sydney Water not providing CCTV footage in response to a statutory notice issued by the EPA.
"Failing to share information when lawfully required undermines the EPA's ability to investigate incidents and protect the environment. We will always take firm action when licence holders do not meet their obligations," he added.
Sydney Water believed it had a lawful excuse at the time, and this issue was the subject of separate court proceedings. The footage was provided after those proceedings concluded.
