Reporting water contamination

What is water contamination?

Contaminants released into creeks, water courses, roadside gutters or stormwater drainage can cause water contamination. Prohibited water contaminants include (but are not limited to) chemicals, waste oils, paint, industrial wastes, clay, gravel and sediment, lawn clippings, leaves and pruning waste, and vehicles and their components such as batteries and tyres.

How to report water contamination

Talk to your local government

• For most water contamination issues you should talk to your local government.
• If it is their responsibility, your local council will deal with the situation either under its own laws or the state regulations.
• Each local government has a complaint resolution process you can follow if you’re believe the process was not effective.
• You may also contact the Queensland Ombudsman to request a review of the actions taken (before you contact the Ombudsman, ensure you have followed your local government’s complaint resolution process first).

Talk to the Queensland Government

• For water contamination issues caused by a state or local government entity, or coming from an environmentally relevant activity (ERA) administered by the State you should contact the Queensland Government.
• You can call the 24/7 Pollution Hotline 1300 130 372 (option 2).
• You may wish to fill in an environmental nuisance report and/or pollution incident allegation.
• These forms may be emailed to pollutionhotline@des.qld.gov.au. Note: this email is only monitored 8.30am to 5.00pm business hours.
• Please phone the 24/7 Pollution Hotline 1300 130 372 (option 2) for all environmental emergencies.

Read more about Reporting Pollution here.

What can a local government do about water contamination?

Local councils can respond to your report or they can take action against someone responsible for water contamination.

Local government officers will investigate to decide whether water contamination has occurred, and may take action based on the type of contaminant, the quantity released, and any actions that were taken or could have been taken to minimise or prevent its release.

Local councils can act against people or organisations causing water contamination. This can include making them change their activities, pay a fine, and even taking them to court.

What are the exceptions?

The Queensland Government is responsible for taking action on water contamination that could result in serious or material environmental harm when the contaminant creates more than just a nuisance and is likely to result in the widespread death of aquatic ecosystems. An example is a major fish kill, major sewage spill or release from a chemical truck/vehicle rollover.

Prohibited water contaminants

This is a list of all materials that are legally considered water contaminants:

• chemicals or chemical waste
• a gas other than oxygen
• a liquid containing suspended or dissolved solids
• a liquid that has a temperature different by more than 2°C from ambient water temperature
• animal matter including dead animals, animal remains and animal excreta; and water used to clean animals, animal enclosures or vehicles used for transporting animals ashes, clay, gravel, sediment, stones and similar organic or inorganic matter
• a substance that has a pH outside the range 6.5 to 8.5
• building and construction materials, including bitumen, brick, cement, concrete and plaster
• building, construction and demolition waste, including bitumen, brick, concrete cuttings, plaster and waste water generated by building, construction or demolition
• clinical waste
• glass, metal parts, paper, piping, plastic and scrap metal
• industrial waste
• oil, including, for example, petroleum or vegetable based oil
• paint, paint scrapings or residues, paint sludge, water used for diluting paint or washing painting utensils, and waste from paint stripping
• plant matter, including, for example, bark, lawn clippings, leaves, mulch, pruning waste, sawdust, shavings, woodchip and other waste from forest products
• putrescible waste, including for example, food scraps
• sewage and sewage residues, whether treated or untreated, and any other matter containing faecal coliforms or faecal streptococci, including for example, waste water pumped out of a septic tank
• vehicles and components of vehicles, including for example, batteries and tyres
• waste and waste water, generated from indoor cleaning, including, for example, waste from carpet or upholstery cleaning and steam cleaning
• waste and waste water, generated from outdoor cleaning, including, for example, waste generated from high pressure water blasting of commercial and industrial premises, fuel dispensing areas, plant or equipment, roofs, streets, vehicles and wharves
• waste generated from repairing or servicing motor vehicles, including, for example engine coolant, grease, lubricants and oil
• waste water, including backwash from swimming pools, condensate from compressors, water from air-conditioning or cooling systems and waste water from grease traps.