Environment
In January 1950, serious concerns were raised following the State Government’s compulsory acquisition of land just north of the East Perth Power Station. Critics pointed to the lack of protective bunds along the river boundary to prevent contamination from spreading into the Swan River. The affected area bordered a public park that included facilities for a local yacht club and the Sea Scouts.
Where clean water once reached a depth of two feet, observers now saw foul black sludge, believed to be the result of industrial waste, including fly ash, being dumped into the river. This prompted immediate public outcry and calls for an investigation by the relevant government department.
The Minister for Works later inspected the site and acknowledged some water discolouration between the power station and the nearby gasworks. However, he claimed that reports of severe pollution were greatly exaggerated.
Allegations that children were playing on beaches now reduced to muddy stretches of ash and cinders, from the power station toward Maylands, were dismissed. The Minister described these areas as former mosquito-infested swamp lands that was being transformed into usable riverbank through the Swan River reclamation and drainage scheme. He stated that clean fly ash was being used to fill in low-lying land around the power station's foreshore, replacing traditional fill materials such as river mud and shells, which had made such areas less stable and useful.
By late January 1950, new containment measures had been put in place to prevent fly ash from entering the river. Officials emphasized that fly ash was considered a “clean” material and would not cause significant pollution or lasting water discolouration.
Further steps were taken in February 1951 when dredging work began on the foreshore. A retaining wall was constructed to contain the ash and plans were made to begin depositing excess fly ash on Burswood Island.
Elsewhere near the Bunbury Bridge, a power station pipe discharged water directly into the river—a practice that drew further attention to the site’s environmental impact.
Although industry was partly to blame, the Swan River’s pollution was not new. Officials noted that the river had been affected since the founding of Perth. Rapid urbanisation, especially the construction of new roads, increased stormwater runoff, which carried rubbish and pollutants directly into the river. What once took three months to reach the river via natural filtration was now arriving within three hours. While industrial sites like the power station contributed to the problem, officials suggested that current efforts to protect the river from pollution were inadequate and largely ineffective.
