Ghosted: the unanswered letter that sparked a fight over Rozelle Parklands

The authorities authorities and toll elephantine Transurban are astatine loggerheads implicit an probe into the outbreak of green-blue algae successful the Rozelle Parklands waterway, which has resulted successful much fencing going up the aforesaid week the parkland reopened.

Four months aft hastily shutting down the grounds erstwhile a genitor discovered their kid had brought location asbestos successful mulch taken from the playground, Transport for NSW reopened the parkland to the nationalist connected Tuesday.

Rozelle Parklands reopened connected Tuesday - but an algal bloom successful the h2o resulted successful caller fencing being erected.Credit: Steven Siewert

But it was not the fence-free greenish utopia that interior westbound residents had been promised: yet much fencing had been erected astir the waterway connected the occidental extremity of the parkland aft the find of blue-green algae.

Last Friday afternoon’s announcement of the algae bloom – perchance deadly to immoderate animals — came aft weeks of quality betwixt Transport for NSW and Transurban implicit however to code the issue.

Transport for NSW, liable for the park, sent an unanswered missive to Transurban connected April 3 informing the institution of a suspected algal bloom successful the park’s waterway, which Transurban manages arsenic a contamination filtration strategy for the junction of tunnels underneath.

After not receiving a response, the transport bureau sent a 2nd missive to the institution connected April 11, which Transurban responded to by saying it refused to participate the ponds – contempt nary traces of asbestos being connected the tract for astatine slightest a fortnight.

Water affected by the blue-green algae successful the wetland.Credit: Steven Siewert

“In enactment with the EPA clean-up notice, each asbestos-contaminated mulch was removed from the Rozelle Parklands by 28 March,” a Transport for NSW spokesperson said. “Due to the process of laying replacement mulch, the wetlands country of the parkland remained down fencing passim April and continues to beryllium fenced disconnected to nationalist entree with informing signage, until algae remediation is completed.

“Transport for NSW requested Transurban analyse the quality of algae successful aboriginal April and advised however entree to the pond could beryllium provided done the parkland contractors.”

On April 15, Transport for NSW took a illustration of the h2o and sent it to Transurban, asking the institution to trial it itself. A Transurban spokesperson confirmed the institution had sent the illustration for testing.

“Upon receiving a illustration of the water, WestConnex [operated by Transurban] was capable to person it tested by h2o experts and the beingness of blue-green algae was confirmed,” they said.

After a affirmative trial was returned connected April 24, Transport for NSW announced the results connected April 26, erstwhile Transurban installed caller fencing. The parkland reopened connected April 30, but not without further consternation among unit astatine Inner West Council, which volition soon instrumentality implicit from Transport for NSW arsenic managers of the site.

In a missive to Transurban, seen by the Herald, Inner West Council’s wide counsel Matthew Pearce said the section authorities was acrophobic “in peculiar [about] the hold successful treating the bloom and its remediation”, and connected Monday sent a database of 19 questions to Transurban astir the passageway plan and algal bloom.

Mayor Darcy Byrne said helium was disquieted the toll institution was not “upholding the basal request to show and trial the h2o successful the wetlands. We’ve yet to person immoderate grounds of what h2o prime investigating they person been doing, if any.”

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