Sydney Water has been fined nearly $270,000 after millions of litres of untreated sewage flowed into a stream in Sydney's southeast and reached a nearby beach.
The Land and Environment Court heard the first overflow happened between May and June 2017 where up to 334 million litres of wastewater was released into Mill Stream in Botany.
About 173 million litres flowed into the same stream in a second incident in mid-June the same year.
The NSW Environment Protection Authority charged Sydney Water with two water pollution offences and one offence of breaching a condition in its environment protection licence.
Sydney Water pleaded guilty to all charges and was convicted on all three in the Land and Environment Court.
In handing down her decision, Justice Rachel Pepper noted the sewage reached Foreshore Beach in Botany Bay and affected its water quality.
"The amenity of Foreshore Beach was affected by odour, there was an increased risk to the health of anyone who may have had contact with the water at Foreshore Beach until 26 June 2017," court documents state.
They reveal that the overflows caused "actual harm" by polluting the aquatic environment and degrading the water quality of Mill Stream and Foreshore Beach.
Sydney Water was ordered to pay $150,000 to Bayside Council and $119,500 to the Environmental Trust as well as the EPA's legal costs.
