Another sewage spill in the Swan River, the second in less than a month, has again triggered health warnings not to fish or consume fish or crabs from affected waters between Guildford Road Bridge and Reg Bond Reserve in Viveash until further notice.
According to the Water Corporation, the latest spill was caused by a burst wastewater main in Caversham, leading to back-ups and three overflows into the river.
Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said, “Two sewage spills in the Swan River in just 30 days is simply not good enough.
“Perth is a modern city in 2025, and yet we’re still seeing untreated human waste entering one of our most iconic waterways. This isn’t just an environmental issue, it’s a failure of essential public infrastructure.”
Communication with Recfishwest has improved since the last incident – with a notification and map (see below) of the affected area provided within 24 hours and there is a dedicated Water Corp webpage with updates on the spill which you can see here.
However, the response still only meets the bare minimum of what West Aussies should expect from a publicly-funded agency entrusted with managing our water.
“We welcome the improved communication, but West Aussies deserve more than the bare minimum. What we need is a concrete plan to fix the systemic issues causing these overflows and protect a river that is central to our way of life,” said Andrew.
Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti acknowledged community concerns, stating, “This is not something that we want to see, or is acceptable, so we will continue to work with Water Corporation to see what else we can do in relation to making sure we prevent these types of spillages.”
Andrew added, “We are pleased to see senior members of Government step in, but the community expects accountability and proactive investment in wastewater infrastructure to stop these incidents at their source.”
Recfishwest continues to call for:
For more information and updates, visit Water Corporation’s incident page or contact ssalert@health.wa.gov.au for public health enquiries.
