Council has voted to continue its opposition to Sydney Water dumping raw sewage into Mill Stream and will step up its campaign for an end to this environmentally reckless practice.
Sydney Water is currently licensed to discharge raw sewage into Mill Sream by the Federal Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts. The license is renewed every three years with no end date to this condition.
Council will write to the Sydney Airport Environment Officer confirming our community’s view that Bayside does not accept ‘diluted wastewater overflows’ into the Mill Stream.
Council is also asking for transparent and regular community updates, on at least a quarterly basis, from Sydney Water on the program of work designed to remove the need to discharge raw sewage into Mill Stream.
Mill Stream flows directly into Botany Bay, a key recreational swimming area of the Sydney region bordered predominantly by the heritage listed Cook Park.
Foreshore Beach is already impacted from sewage overflows discharging to nearby Mill Stream and continues to be graded as very poor in the State Government’s annual beach report.
The overflow point is directly upstream to Foreshore Beach, the only local beachfront for residents in the eastern side of the Bayside LGA.
Botany Bay is an important recreational fishing area and Council is also concerned about the health impacts of eating fish from a waterway impacted by regular sewage overflows.
Botany Bay also has significant environmental value as habitat for threatened and migratory birds, fish habitat, threatened sea grass as well as many different species of animals and plants.
Bayside Council regards Mill Stream and Botany Wetlands as important community assets with significant potential to meet the increased community recreational needs. Continual sewage overflows restrict the usability of this area.
