As many as 1000 trees along the Cooks River are being assessed for potential removal by energy companies, which operate an underground network of pipelines running beneath kilometres of parklands in south-western Sydney.
Hundreds of mature trees – including Moreton Bay figs, eucalypts, and casuarinas – which line kilometres of pipeline easement from Port Botany to Newington in Sydney's inner west have been tagged by arborists to determine whether they pose a threat to the pipelines.
As many as 1000 trees along the Cooks River are being assessed for potential removal by energy companies.Credit: Paul Miller
"No one was notified, it just came out of the blue," said Peter Munro, the secretary of Cooks River Valley Association, which has been monitoring the river since the 1920s.
He said a volunteer first noticed the metal tags in June. They were attached to trees he had planted during the 1970s as part of efforts to regenerate the area after the pipelines were laid.
One of the tagged trees.
When Mr Munro undertook his own investigation, he discovered the trees were tagged in the high 100s at Kendrick Park, near the Princes Highway at Tempe and progressed sequentially to the high 900s near Strathfield golf course.
The trees follow an underground pipeline network which contains two pipelines. One is used by Viva Energy Australia to pump jet fuel from Clyde Terminal to Sydney Airport, while the second pipeline is operated by Sydney Metropolitan Pipeline and is used by Caltex Australia to transport fuel between storage terminals at Kurnell, Banksmeadow, Silverwater and Newcastle.
A spokesman for Energy Minister Anthony Roberts confirmed his department was aware of the tagging, and said: "The pipeline route [was] being assessed for any possible threats to the pipelines.
"If any trees are identified as possibly requiring removal, the licensee will have to go through all normal approval processes."
Viva Energy confirmed an arborist had been hired after a safety audit of the easement raised concerns "about trees growing close to the two pipelines".
"It's very early in the assessment process. Further work is needed to determine what, and if any, work needs to occur," Viva Energy's spokeswoman Jessica Marriner said.
Ms Marriner said it was "far too early to speculate" whether any trees would be removed, but the tagging process has sparked considerable concern among local environmental groups.
A spokesman for Caltex said the two energy companies had a joint responsibility to protect the easement and make sure the pipelines were safe. "It's in our interest and also in the community's interest to maintain those pipelines safely; we need to be aware of any issues along that easement," the spokesman said.
Mr Munro, who is also part of The Mudcrabs, a group of 500 volunteers who regularly meet to collect rubbish and restore the bush along the river, said the community would be devastated if large numbers of trees were destroyed.
"If a decision were made to remove just some of the tagged trees, it would be an act of complete environmental vandalism. These are magnificent trees."
The Member for Summer Hill, Jo Haylen, said the energy companies had a responsibility to consult the community about the status of the pipelines and plans for the trees.
"Locals have a strong investment in these trees and the health of the river," she said. "We are slowly bringing the river back to life and it's devastating to think that all that work can be pulled out from under us."
Mr Munro said the association, which protested against the initial laying of the pipelines in the 1970s, was also concerned the ageing pipeline network was approaching its use-by date, and the assessment of the trees foreshadowed a replacement of the pipes.
Mr Roberts and Viva Energy did not address Fairfax Media's questions as to the lifespan of the pipelines.