Wamberal Warriewood Sewage Treatment Plant has been a long running commitment by Surfrider’s Northern Beaches Branch since Surfrider started in Australia in 1991. Campaigning over the long term has led to strategic alliances between Surfrider, local government surfers and beach lovers to apply substantial pressure to Sydney Water to upgrade the plant to tertiary (UV) treatment in 2000 and further capacity upgrades in 2012-13. The 2000 UV upgrade followed a vigorous campaign and landmark meeting involving Sydney Water, Surfrider Foundation and local surfers and residents demanding that Sydney Water ensure the upgrade was scheduled. In 2015 Surfrider Foundation Northern Beaches called for further upgrades for a deep ocean outfall (DOO) to be constructed following studies prepared by local volunteers concluding that the volumes proposed to be treated could never be satisfactorily recycled under the existing Sydney Water proposal.
Wet weather overflow events have been causing problematic pollution of Warriewood, Mona Vale and Turimetta Beaches with concerns the pollution could have health impacts on local surfers and swimmers. Surfrider partnered with Save Our Waves in a series of water analyses directly following “overflow events” which show cause for alarm for impacting human health. As residential densities increase in the area it is apparent the sewage treatment plant as it currently stands will become increasingly less able to deal with volumes of throughput making the DOO the only realistic option to ensure water quality of an acceptable standard.