20 July Update:
A spokeperson from City of Sydney informed us that the spill happened during the removal of an old underground fuel tank at a construction site in Alexandria which contained a small amount of oily water.
The site manager reported the incident and carried out the clean up as per the site management plan.
On 5 June, a local resident notified the NSW Environmental Protection Agency (NSW EPA) after observing several Pelican’s with discoloured black wings. According to Nine News, the discoloration is believed to be the result of a suspected oil spill in upper Alexandra Canal.*
Local Wires Volunteer Paul Thomas, along with others, rescued 15 Pelicans that had been impacted by the spill. The volunteers were assisted by the Sydney SES Unit and local Water Police. Some of the affected birds had shaken off enough of the oil to get airborne and were found in Centennial Parklands. See Paul’s posts about the rescue here. The spill was also covered on Nine News on 5 June. Read that story here.
The cause of the spill is unknown. Anyone in the Alexandria, Tempe, Marrickville, Earlwood areas are asked to keep an eye out for affected birds. We have contacted the NSW EPA for further information on the causes of the suspected spill.
Photo: Paul Thomas
Alexandra Canal is part of the lower Cooks River Catchment, flowing through industrial Alexandria, between Tempe Lands and the Airport, before meeting the Cooks River. Pollution events like this can have an impact on surrounding areas such as Botany Bay, due to the tidal nature of this area in the catchment. To learn more about the Cooks River Catchment boundaries, check out this catchment map.
*Alexandra Canal has been incorrectly decribed as Alexandria Canal in the Nine News coverage and on social media.