NSW: Police investigate Charlottle Pass sewage failure

AAP General News (Australia)
08-21-2001
NSW: Police investigate Charlottle Pass sewage failure

SYDNEY, Aug 21 AAP - Police are investigating a sewage failure at Charlotte Pass that
has forced the closure of the NSW ski resort.

Sewerage tanks at the Snowy Mountains site were on the brink of overflowing yesterday
after an unknown chemical killed off bacteria and caused a build-up of 50,000 litres of
untreated sludge.

Sabotage had not been ruled out as a possible cause of the disaster, the Environment
Protection Authority (EPA) said.

"At this stage no-one can say whether sabotage is in or out," EPA environment protection
officer John Dengate said.

"It may be stupidity, it may be malice, it may be a total freak accident."

A police spokesman confirmed that detectives from Cooma were at the scene.

"Police are on the scene up there at the moment...there are detectives up there," he said.

"Obviously we have an obligation to investigate any allegations that are made."

The evacuation of the 600-bed resort was expected to be completed today as visitors
were forced to cut short their ski trips and staff found themselves out of work.

Stillwell Lodge manager Steve Young said the resort took the decision to close to avoid
contamination of the national park on advice from the EPA.

"The sewage plant seems to have failed.

"Toxic chemicals had got into the plant and ... the EPA decided to have a look and
as they couldn't repair it in time and had to put it into the creek and they didn't want
to do that.

"So Charlotte Pass village decided to shut so they could fix the sewage plant," he said.

Mr Dengate praised resort managers for deciding to pull the plug.

"They were running out of storage space and they took the very tough decision to close down.

"It's to their credit that they have took the decision to protect the environment," he said.

Charlotte Pass general manager David Payne said it was a devastating blow for the small
boutique resort, which runs five ski lifts, and he had to stand down staff with virtually
no hope of reopening this season.

"This is the end of the season ... unless there's a miracle cure," Mr Payne said.

"It's an absolute tragic situation, it wasn't very pleasant telling my staff and it
wasn't very pleasant telling my guests."

AAP jjs/ph/de

KEYWORD: CHARLOTTE THIRD DAYLEAD

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