A builder has been hit with a $30,000 fine issued by City of Canterbury Bankstown and convicted by a court after concrete runoff caused water pollution.
An inspection conducted by Council in 2025 found a large amount of concrete slurry flowing from a local construction site into a gutter and travelling approximately 120 metres into an exposed stormwater pit.
The inspection found that no sediment or erosion control measures had been installed at the premises.
A subsequent site inspection found the builder failed to remove or otherwise rectify the concrete slurry.
After appealing the fine at Bankstown Local Court, the builder was convicted for water pollution under the Protection of the Environment Operations (POEO) Act 1997 and issued with the hefty $30,000 fine by the Court.
When handing down the judgment, the judge noted the inspection photographs showed no attempt had been made to prevent concrete runoff and that offences of this nature are serious and should not be viewed as trivial.
Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor Bilal El-Hayek said builders must ensure they are compliant and operating in accordance with the law.
“Council will not tolerate builders and other contractors who cut corners,” Mayor El-Hayek said.
“Failing to contain or properly clean-up material from a building site can have a detrimental impact on our local waterways and surrounding environment.”
“Dodgy builders are on notice and Council will not hesitate to take action.”
In March’s Get the Site Right campaign, 41 site inspections were undertaken and a total of $97,000 fines were issued by Council for non-compliance. Page 2 of 2
Residents are encouraged to report pollution incidents to Council on 9707 9000 or online at cb.city/ReportIt
Pollution incidents can also be reported to the Environment Protection Authority on 131 555.
Get the Site Right is a joint taskforce between the Parramatta River Catchment Group, Cooks River Alliance, Georges Riverkeeper, Sydney Coastal Councils Group, Water NSW, NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), Department of Planning and Environment and many Sydney Councils.
