Half a billion litres of under-treated sewage spilled across Tasmania in 2024-25 according to Environment Tasmania’s ‘Map the Crap’ – launched by Environment Tasmania today.

“Over 27 million litres of under-treated sewage was dumped above Launceston’s key tourist destination, Cataract Gorge, putting locals and over 400,000 tourists at risk of exposure to harmful pathogens and toxins”, says Lucy Tremain, Freshwater Campaigner at Environment Tasmania

  • TasWater released more than 47 billion litres (47,249,700,000) of wastewater into Tasmania’s waterways in 2024-2025. Over 600 million litres (635,793,000) was under-treated sewage, released during bypass events.
  • During a bypass event, sewage will skip ‘secondary treatment’ which is a critical step to ensure it is safe before being released.
  • Under-treated sewage can contain pathogens, nutrients and other contaminants from industrial waste that pose a risk to human health.
  • Prospect Vale STP released 27,580,000 litres of under-treated sewage which flowed into Cataract Gorge
  • Cameron Bay STP discharged 36,026,000 litres of under-treated sewage, clouding the waters around the iconic MONA building.
  • Ti Tree Bend STP released over 338,980,000 litres of under-treated sewage directly into the Tamar River
  • 9 out of 10 sewage treatment plants (STPs) are operating in breach of their environmental protection notices. In 2024-25, 100 out of 110 facilities were non-compliant.

 

Environment Tasmania has launched ‘Map the Crap’ and a petition, calling on Health Minister, Bridget Archer, to champion the health of all Tasmanians and work to ensure all sewage treatment plants are fitted with ‘real-time monitoring’ equipment, which can alert the public to the latest bypass sewage events. This will help prevent Tasmanians from coming into contact with hazardous, under-treated sewage.

Lucy Tremain, Freshwater Campaigner at Environment Tasmania says:

“The Tasmanian Government is failing to inform people about hazardous sewage pollution events. Environment Tasmania believes all Tasmanians have the right to make informed decisions about their health, and so has launched an interactive map highlighting the scale of this sewage pollution crisis and making information about these risks easily accessible.”

“The Tasmanian Government has already committed $20 million towards upgrading the Macquarie Point sewage treatment plant, at a fraction of this cost they could ensure all Tasmanians are safeguarded from under-treated sewage pollution, by funding the roll-out of real-time monitoring.” “Under-treated sewage from bypass events poses a real risk to human health, while also devastating Tasmania’s precious waterways. All Tasmanians have the right to make informed decisions about their health, including if they are being exposed to this under-treated sewage.”

GREENS STATEMENT

Millions of litres of improperly treated sewerage was released into Tasmanian waterways in just one year, according to data compiled by Environment Tasmania. It raises serious concerns about the management of Tasmania’s freshwater and delays to river health programs.

According to analysis from Environment Tasmania, 635,739,000 litres of untreated or partially treated sewage was released by TasWater into the state’s waterways in 2024-25. It’s a shitload of sewerage that’s been released into Tasmania’s freshwater.

We know TasWater releases untreated or partially treated sewage into waterways during key periods, such as heavy rainfall or when plant infrastructure is having issues. But the huge amount of waste being released into Tasmania’s waterways sets off significant alarm bells.

It raises serious concerns about the implications for both human health and the environment. Tasmanians rely on freshwater for many uses, like drinking, swimming and agriculture, and they deserve to know the health quality of their local rivers.

While this news is terrible, it’s not surprising. The Liberals have consistently failed to properly manage Tasmania’s freshwater resources. TasWater itself admits the sewerage network is in dire need of upgrades, but they don’t have the money to do what’s needed.

The Greens asked questions about Tasmania’s water monitoring and healthy rivers programs in Estimates, only to hear of a myriad of delays to overdue programs. We fear that further budget cuts will mean that upgrades and much needed monitoring programs will only be further delayed.

The Liberals need to finally get serious about managing the state’s fresh water. They must make the investments needed to upgrade Tasmania’s sewerage treatment systems and monitor in real-time the effect they’re having on Tasmanian waterways.

Tabath Badger MP

Greens Water Spokesperson

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