'Evil-looking' black sludge in Aussie tourist area alarms locals
A thick, black plume tainting the otherwise pristine, turquoise waters off Darwin has locals concerned over its impact on the environment.
Alarming footage from Wednesday shows the mysterious dark entity lurking at East Point – a spot popular with tourists desperate to experience the natural beauty of the area.
Jim Smith, who filmed the video, is one operator who takes visitors around the coastline and the discovery of the dark sludge was worrying for the seasoned guide with a passion for the area’s environment.
“It was a black and pretty evil-looking substance. I’ve never seen anything like it,” he told Yahoo News Australia.
Mr Smith, who operates tour group Sea Darwin, said he was thankful he didn’t have any tourists on board with him at the time, predicting they’d be “pretty pissed off” if they’d seen it.
Sharing the footage to the company’s Facebook page, the clip drew in serious concern from locals over the plume’s presence.
“These types of things are disgusting,” one person wrote.
“This is a disgrace,” another said.
Mr Smith predicted the “massive” plume was about one kilometre in length.
“People were even able to see it from the air,” he revealed.
He said the plume was where sewage discharge is regularly emitted from nearby Ludmilla sewerage facility located on Darwin’s coastline.
Its sewage discharge pipe extends into the Beagle Gulf at East Point.
Sewage company explains plume
Skefos Tsoukalis, Senior Manager Asset Management Water Services at Power and Water, the company that oversees sewerage facilities in the NT, told Yahoo News Australia the black plume was caused by an excess in small particles of "iron precipitate” from the pipe.
“[The particles] are carried over from the treatment plant, which has accumulated in our discharge pipework and was pumped into the harbour through the East Point Outfall.”
Mr Smith believes the discharge could not only severely damage the tourism industry but he feared for the welfare of marine life and has called for further research into its effects in an area which is promoted for its coral.
He also said he worried the quality of the water may be affected in Fannie Bay on the other side of East Point peninsula.
“A discussion needs to be had. Infrastructure like that needs to be upgraded,” Mr Smith said.
However Mr Tsoukalis insisted the discharge wouldn’t threaten the welfare of marine life in the surrounding area.
“The precipitate is not shown to have any environmental impact and is part of the extensive monitoring of water quality and benthos at East Point,” he said.
Mr Tsoukalis said the company is constantly investing to ensure is impact on the environment is minimised.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has said they are investigating the matter.
Mr Smith’s video comes after a dolphin pen in the Virgin Islands was photographed filled with sewage, prompting fears arising over the mammals' safety.
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