Dead: Alan Marshall at the creek where he previously collected live bait..
JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
A STEAD Park stormwater drain once teeming with life appears to have been poisoned, according to Geelong fishing identity Alan Marshall.
Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has confirmed it is investigating the incident.
Mr Marshall, Geelong Angling Club secretary, said he found dead water beetles, minnows and browned vegetation in the drain leading east from Station Steet.
“I’ve been gathering live bait from this little creek for 20 years or more,” he said.
“It’s usually alive with yabbies, minnows, mayfly shrimp and mudeyes.
“This has devastated me to see this sort of thing happen to a creek that was alive with bait.”
Mr Marshall said he collected live bait from the creek just last month.
“Last Saturday I went to gather a bit of live bait for fishing and I found that the creek looked like it has been poisoned.
“When you stand on the culvert in Station Street down from St Georges Road and look along the creek to the east all is dead.
“Then when I used my dip net along that section of the creek I only found dead water beetles in the water.
“You can see all of the vegetation in the creek and up the bank is dead. This must have happened just before the last rains for it to go halfway up the bank.”
Mr Marshall said it was curious the Stead Park side of the drain was unaffected.
City of Greater Geleong’s Gary Van Driel said environment officers inspected the stormwater drain but found no evidence of flora or fauna loss due to poor water quality.
“The drain is the subject of a clean up program aimed at removing blackberry and other weeds that were impeding the flow of stormwater,” Mr Van Driel said.
An EPA spokesperson said and an officer had inspected the waterway as part of the investigation.
The EPA encouraged reports of pollution incidents as quickly as possible before rain washed away evidence,” the spokesperson said.
“We have a new 24-hour pollution hotline, 1300 EPA Vic. The community is our eyes and ears with regard to reporting environmental pollution.”
