Matthew Hartley, Byron Bay
Duncan Dey is completely correct about the Belongil Estuary/Creek. Not only is it overloaded with sewage – some of it raw sewage pumped into the golf course ponds, some of it semi-treated sewage from whenever Byron Bay is full of tourists and it rains. The poor Belongil Creek catches all of the road run-off, and a lot of agricultural run-off as well.
Belongil Creek should be an asset for the community. People like to fish, it can be a healthy source of food. Unfortunately fish spawning areas, like the Belongil estuary, a major source of local seafood, are made toxic by long-term mismanagement. The wetlands are also a significant wildlife habitat, and a refuge for migratory birds.
Rather than pumping more sewage into the Belongil, it is about time the Council gave the community what it has always wanted: a forward thinking on-site conversion of human sewage into recycled fertiliser.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
