Sydney water has abandoned a proposal to release up to 10 times more nitrogen and phosphorus into the Hawkesbury River from its Brooklyn sewage plant following a backlash from locals and fears about degradation of the waterway.
The proposal to release an extra 3.9 tonnes of nitrogen and 2.1 tonnes of phosphorus into the Hawkesbury had been widely criticised by local oyster farmers, residents, the state Labor opposition and the local council, as well as government departments and the local Liberal member, Matt Kean.
The Department of Primary Industries had lodged an objection to the application, which was still being considered by the Department of Planning.
The department’s submission argued that the use of a third filter at the plant, which would cost about $1 million, would prevent the increased effluent discharges but Sydney Water had said this would be a ”considerable cost”.
The Sydney Water managing director, Kevin Young, will today announce that, following feedback from the community, the agency had decided to withdraw the proposal.
“While our water quality modelling predicts that raising the nutrient levels is unlikely to have adverse impacts on the health of the Hawkesbury-Nepean River, we have listened to the concerns of our customers,” he said.
As the Liberal MP for Hornsby, Mr Kean spoke out against the proposal in the media and is understood to have lobbied both the Premier and the Minister for Services, Greg Pearce, against it.
”Our environment is too important to compromise and I’m delighted the Premier and minister have intervened to protect one of Sydney’s most beautiful waterways,” he said.
Toxic blue-green algae blooms have largely been eliminated from the river but locals feared the return of algae if increased levels of nutrients released in the river were approved.
Sydney Water will invest the $1 million needed for the additional filter so discharges can be maintained at current levels.
Mr Pearce said works would be undertaken in the coming year.
”The plant, built in 2007 under the previous Labor government, is unique from other wastewater plants and has been operating inefficiently - increasing costs for Sydney Water while it struggled to meet the needs of the community,” he said.
The Brooklyn plant, the first in Sydney Water’s system to use new membrane bioreactor technology, has been plagued with problems.
Documents obtained by the Herald under freedom of information laws reveal Sydney Water has repeatedly applied to increase the allowable effluent limits due to operational failures. The original builder was recalled to repair mechanical problems in 2009 and 2010 and half the plant was shut down sequentially over nine months for repairs and testing. Continuing problems prompted an official to concede in a February 2011 letter to the Environment Department that ”reviewing the performance of the plant during the last four years of operation, it needs to be noted that the Environmental Impact Statement limits may not be achievable.”
The opposition environment spokesman, Luke Foley, had accused the government of putting cost-cutting above the environment, had it allowed the plans to go ahead, and called on the Premier to step in.
The plant lies about a kilometre from oyster farming areas and the river supports commercial fishers, prawn trawlers and recreational fishers.
