A Freshwater family has been left with a swimming pool full of human waste and concerns over health implications following a sewage pipe burst caused by overgrown tree roots.
The disgusting overflow occurred after heavy rain on Sunday night, marking the second time in three years that the Wyadra Avenue sewerage pipe has burst, affecting five properties with a flow of human excrement through homes and gardens.
Katie Rodwell, a resident on the street, awoke to discover a “river of water” gushing through her backyard and into the street, with sewage “fountaining up” from a drain and her swimming pool turned brown with waste. While Ms Rodwell’s home interior was spared, her neighbours four doors away were compelled to evacuate after the faecal flow breached their property.
Clean-up Complications
Contractors from the waste management company Veolia were quickly called in to manage the clean-up. However, when workers offered to drain Ms Rodwell’s sewage-filled swimming pool, they were informed by Sydney Water that doing so would be “against policy.”
Ms Rodwell explained that she was told to leave the pool as it was and that she would need to arrange its cleaning herself. She expressed confusion, noting that the contractor was present with the necessary equipment and had offered assistance.
Health and Policy Concerns
Ms Rodwell has voiced significant worry about the potential health risks to her family, particularly her two children with intellectual disabilities, and has kept her windows and doors shut to prevent exposure to the effluent.
She reported frantically contacting pool companies, but all were busy, leaving her with a contaminated pool for over two days. She believes Sydney Water appears to prioritise its policies over addressing a significant health hazard for residents.
A spokeswoman for Sydney Water explained that technicians identified overgrown tree roots as the cause of the burst pipe, describing it as an issue that can occur even with regular maintenance.
She also explained that Sydney Water responds to and manages incidents according to protocols designed for the customer and crews, and that the utility cannot be involved in cleaning or repairing private property such as swimming pools.
However, Sydney Water does reimburse all reasonable and documented costs related to the impact of such incidents, including expenses for pool cleaning and restoration, and apologised for the inconvenience caused.
Rising Bill Proposals
This incident unfolds amidst proposals for a significant increase in Sydneysiders’ water bills. Sydney Water has suggested a 50 per cent hike over the next five years to fund a $26 billion infrastructure and maintenance program.
The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal’s draft decision on this proposal, however, suggests a more modest increase of $61, or 4.6 per cent plus inflation, each year on average for typical household customers.
Published Date 09-Jun-2025
