There are questions over the capacity of the ACT's wastewater treatment system, after partially treated sewage was repeatedly released into the Murray Darling catchment during recent heavy rainfall.
On three occasions in the past three months, Icon Water had to release wastewater from a holding dam at the Lower Molonglo Water Quality Control Centre as heavy rain pushed it beyond capacity.
Icon Water's general manager of Infrastructure Services, Gerard Brierley, said the company was acting within its licence, which allowed it to release some waste during extreme weather events. Icon said that rainwater was infiltrating the sewerage system through manhole covers, leaking pipes, and illegal plumbing connections — and heavy rain meant a dramatic increase in inflows to the city's treatment plants.The ACT's Environment Protection Authority confirmed that Icon Water's actions were permitted under an "environmental authorisation", which set the conditions for its effluent discharge and monitoring.
Professor Fiona Dyer, from the University of Canberra's Centre for Applied Water Science, said there was nevertheless still some potential risk to human health. However, she said a changing climate meant that heavy rainfall from storms would become more frequent, leading to the potential of more wastewater discharges.
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