Brisbane paddlers are suffering slow-healing cuts and serious infections from river water – despite repeated sewage alerts warning them to stay away.
Dragons Rowing Club member Tracy White contracted a waterborne Aeromonas infection, “most likely from rowing on the river”.
She also suffered another bad infection from blisters after rowing.
“I was told by my doctor I got the infection from the river or from soil,” she said.
Aeromonas bacteria enter through breaks in the skin such as cuts, blisters or abrasions. They can cause cellulitis, wound infections and soft tissue problems that appear within 24 to 48 hours and sometimes progress to deeper, more serious infections.
These risks are heightened by faecal contamination from sewage overflows. Urban Utilities issues public warnings when heavy rainfall overwhelms the sewerage network, triggering discharges of untreated sewage mixed with stormwater.
River users say part of the problem is that the utility’s public warnings use language that downplays the reality of raw sewage entering the water.
The notifications typically state that a “wastewater [sewage] release has occurred due to recent wet weather” and advise people to avoid contact with the affected stretch of river. They warn against swimming, wading, rowing, kayaking or fishing during the alert period and for up to three days after major rain events.
Enterococci bacteria, used as the key indicator of faecal contamination, are strongly associated with increased risks of skin and wound infections as well as slower healing. Studies show these bacteria can persist in wounds, modulate immune responses and contribute to chronic or hard-to-treat infections.
Despite the warnings, many paddlers and rowers continue their routines.
Margarite Langford and her husband Mick, members of Brisbane Outrigger Canoe Club, regularly launch from Vic Lucas Park at Bulimba for a typical seven-kilometre route upstream toward the Story Bridge or downstream past the Gateway Bridge.
Ms Langford, who has a decade of paddling experience on the tidal stretches, said a recent minor cut from an oyster shell on her foot took an “unusually long time to heal”.
She questioned the limited scope of the warning zone from Bulimba-Hamilton to Colmslie-Northshore Hamilton.
“I can’t help wonder why it’s just from Bulimba up to Colmslie, considering the river’s tidal,” she said. “Why is it not an issue further upstream towards the city?”
Mr Langford said he was aware of the sewage warnings but has kept paddling.
“I don’t forget the fact there are warnings about sewage in the river. Luckily, I’ve had no health issues so far,” he said.
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