By Jeremy Sollars
The Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP) is continuing to investigate a number of effluent leaks from Southern Downs Regional Council sewerage systems, a spokesman has confirmed.
The latest incident happened on Tuesday of this week when around 100,000 litres of raw sewage spilled into Stanthorpe’s Quart Pot Creek, threatening downstream irrigators.
The spill followed heaving rain in the Stanthorpe area early in the week and the council is blaming householders with illegal stormwater connections to the sewerage system.
The council was fined $12,190 by EHP after an effluent spill into Quart Pot Creek in July last year, and EHP has confirmed it is still investigating other similar incidents which have occurred since then.
Prior to this week’s spill, Quart Pot Creek was most recently contaminated in early February when a contractor working for the Stanthorpe River Trust accidentally severed a sewer line in the creek with an excavator.
The council stepped in on that occasion and repaired the sewer line.
An EHP spokesman told the Free Times today, Thursday 16 March, that they could not comment on current investigations but confirmed several were in progress.
Members of the public are encouraged to report suspected pollution incidents, to the EHP Pollution Hotline on 1300 130 372.
