Terrie Costello returned to her flood-damaged home in Broadwater, in northern NSW, expecting to find it blanketed in mud and smelling of mould — instead, it was covered in fuel and oil.
"The smell of the diesel and the oil actually took over the devastation of the floods … oily, smelly, black sludge," she told ABC News Radio.
After some searching, Ms Costello found one of her hens perched in the backyard, covered in oily residue.
"She's actually a ginger chicken, and we had to euthanase her, she was so oily and sludgy.
"Everything is poisoned, it's black, smells, glistens in the sun, [it looks] burnt – you'd think a fire has gone through our backyard, not a flood," she said.
Ms Costello says roughly 10 more homes near hers, all close to the river and just metres downstream from the local sugar mill, have also been inundated with the slurry.
'Spewing out' fuel
At the height of the floods, and while rescuing people from rooftops by boat, Ms Costello's son noticed a large tank attached to the Broadwater sugar mill releasing large amounts of fuel.
"There was a huge diesel tank that had been overturned and [was] spewing out copious amounts of diesel … a tank at the rear of the property, which is part of the mill," she said.
Ms Costello and her local council contacted the NSW Environment Protection Authority, who she said attended the homes several days later.
An EPA spokesperson confirmed with the ABC that preliminary assessments and door knocks had been conducted.
"While many homes have already been cleaned up, the EPA will ensure that any homes that remain affected are cleaned up as a matter of urgency," the spokesperson said.
Sugar mill damage
Sunshine Sugar chief executive Chris Connors did not confirm its Broadwater sugar mill was directly responsible for the oil spill through resident's homes, but confirmed it the company was working with the EPA on "a recovery plan for the Broadwater community and properties impacted by flood residues".
"That is going to take some time. It is not a simple resolution as there are many matters that need to be considered," he said.
Mr Connors said the mill's own operations had been significantly impacted by the floods.
"In the meantime, we have a team assisting in the clean-up including houses in the Broadwater area."
A complicated clean-up
The EPA spokesperson said that after assisting residents with the clean-up of their homes, the authority's next focus would be on addressing contaminated yards and soils, for which it would need to engage specialist consultants.
"The clean-up will happen in a manner that ensures the health and safety of workers and the community," the spokesperson said.
The clean-up can't come soon enough for Ms Costello.
Unless a resolution is found, Ms Costello fears the community might be forced to resort to pursuing a class action.
"Someone in our bureaucratic society should not allow this to happen, someone has to look after the little people."
