A Sydney council has been issued an official clean-up notice over orange sludge which leaked into a waterway in a major national park.
Ku-ring-gai Council self-reported a leak from an old landfill in Turramurra to the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) on July 11 which saw a watercourse flowing through Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park polluted with leachate.
The leak was found to be from a faulty pump underneath North Turramurra Golf Course.
An EPA officer visited the scene and found an orange liquid and sediment from a system which disposes water from a former landfill site within the golf course.
Photos from the scene show the polluted water flowing through a waterway in the national park.
A clean-up notice was issued to the council which required it to prevent, remove and divert the liquid from the national park.
A replacement pump was later put in place by the Ku-ring-gai Council to stop the leak.
“EPA officers collected samples of the leak and water samples from an unnamed creek downstream which will help inform if there was any impact to the environment,” A NSW EPA spokesperson told 9news.com.au.
“The EPA’s investigation is continuing.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for Ku-ring-gai Council said the leak occurred due to an “unexpected pump malfunction”.
“The Environment Protection Authority was advised as is standard process by the Council as part of our self-reporting practice,” the spokesperson said.
“The pump forms part of a drainage system that operates as part of a trade waste agreement.
“In response to the incident Council replaced the faulty pump as well as associated pipework and commenced clean-up work. This approach has been discussed with the EPA who have expressed their satisfaction with the works being undertaken.
“Council will continue to monitor the system to ensure no further incidents occur.”
