People are advised to avoid contact with water in the Normanville Creek and Bungala River, after a system fault at SA Water’s nearby Normanville Wastewater Treatment Plant saw untreated wastewater discharged into the creek, which joins up to the river and then discharges into the sea.

People must also avoid contact with the seawater, 100 metres each side of the river outlet at Normanville Beach.

However, with school holidays just around the corner, the District Council of Yankalilla has been quick to point out that visitors are still welcome and the precautionary measures in place should not affect their stay too much.

The contamination scare was made public today (Tuesday 15 September) via an announcement by the Department for Health and Wellbeing.

The department's Principal Water Quality Adviser, Dr David Cunliffe, says around one megalitre of wastewater was released. One megalitre is equivalent to one million litres of water.

“The affected areas are being clearly marked with signage, and the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has attended the site to assess," Dr Cunliffe says.

“People who come into contact with untreated wastewater could experience gastrointestinal illness, including diarrhoea and vomiting.

“Anyone who suspects they have been in contact with wastewater in this area and are also experiencing symptoms should speak to their GP or healthcare provider.”

The wastewater treatment plant fault was identified by SA Water staff completing routine checks, who immediately notified SA Health and the EPA.

SA Water’s Senior Manager Production and Treatment, Lisa Hannant, says a thorough investigation will be undertaken into the incident.

“Our top priority will be understanding what happened, to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Ms Hannant says.

“The plant has returned to normal operation and additional monitoring processes are in place while our investigation is under way.

“We apologise for the inconvenience this incident may cause river, creek and beach visitors and assure the community that steps will be taken to prevent a recurrence.

“We will work with the EPA to assess localised clean-up options and any necessary actions to monitor and rehabilitate the affected watercourses.

”Water samples have been collected from several downstream locations from the treatment plant to determine the extent of the discharge, with results expected within the next 24 hours.”

Yankalilla Mayor Glen Rowlands says, “SA Health have advised our Environmental Health Officer that an event like this generally runs for five days and that water samples will be tested until the levels return to normal and then the precautionary exclusion zone signage will be removed”.

According to Mr Rowlands, the precautionary exclusion zone, being the 100 metres of Normanville Beach either side of the Bungala River outlet, is usually used for boat launching and is not the main swimming area at Normanville Beach.

“While it’s only a short stroll to find a safe place to swim at Normanville Beach our district boasts 90 kilometres of coastline including stunning rugged cliffs and 30 kilometres of spectacular white sandy beaches so you don’t have to go far to find an alternate beach if you wish," he says.

“The Jetty Caravan Park Normanville are not experiencing any effects to their services and have confirmed no visual changes or odours are currently present.

“They are looking forward to welcoming visitors for the October school holidays and only have a few vacancies left, so get in quick."