The NSW Environment Protection Authority is investigating the discharge of about 3.1 million litres of partially treated effluent from the Cronulla Waste Water Treatment Plant.
The release of the sewage lasted about an hour and a quarter around noon on Thursday following a power outage at the plant. The site usually treats about 50 million litres a day.
“It was quite small in terms of a discharge,” said Karl Schubert, a spokesman for Sydney Water, the plant's operator.
The effluent went through primary treatment with solid removed and the material disinfected before its release. “It would dilute extremely quickly with the body of water out there,” Mr Schubert said.
The EPA said Sydney Water had “self-reported” the release from the Potter Point discharge site on the Kurnell Peninsula – a region that has been popular for fishing and surfing.
“The EPA is investigating the incident and has asked Sydney Water for further information,” Giselle Howard, the EPA’s metropolitan director, said.
A power failure at Sydney Water’s Glenfield Wastewater Treatment Plant last November triggered the release of about 150 megalitres of untreated sewage into the Georges River, prompting the utility to warn people to avoid contact with water from the river.
