A recent foam incident in the Barwon River at Winchelsea has prompted an appeal from EPA Victoria to residents in the Geelong, Winchelsea and coastal areas to be careful about what goes into their gutters and drains.
EPA South West Regional Manager Carolyn Francis said there are two things you can do to help protect the Barwon, Lake Colac and other rivers and creeks of the south west: prevent pollution in the first place, but if you do see it in the waterways be quick to report it.
Prevention is always better than cure and taking care to make sure you don’t contaminate local stormwater drains and waterways is a way to do your bit to protect the community and the environment, Ms Francis said.
“Everyone should be careful to avoid contaminating waterways via gutters and drains, even when the contaminant might seem harmless, like household detergents,” Ms Francis said.
“And if you find signs of contamination, report them as quickly as you can – it’ll help us to trace the source and stop it from happening again.
“Foam from detergents can hang around for days, taking oxygen out of the water and killing fish, invertebrates and other aquatic life.
“If it’s no longer possible to follow the trail back into a stormwater drain, the source can be very hard to trace. Even ‘environmentally friendly biodegradable’ detergents can cause these problems in our waterways by providing excess nutrients to bacteria and reducing oxygen.
“When it comes to reporting pollution, a photograph, an accurate location and a prompt report by phone or online can make all the difference in helping EPA to track the contamination to its source,” Ms Francis said.
Members of the public can report pollution by calling EPA’s 24-hour hotline on 1300 372 842 visit epa.vic.gov.au/report-pollution/reporting-pollution
