Beaches flushed with wastewater: NSW oppn MILLIONS of litres of polluted water have been released onto Sydney, Illawarra and Hunter beaches in the past two years, the NSW opposition says. Opposition water spokesman Walt Secord said water treatment plants had been put on "bypass" about 600 times in 24 months. Bypasses often occurred during periods of heavy rain when the system was overloaded. "This meant that waste water which is supposed to be treated to a high level was simply released untreated or partially treated," he said in a statement. Mr Secord said bypasses had occurred at Sydney suburbs like Bondi, Cronulla and Malabar as well as at Wollongong, Shellharbour and various locations in the Hunter. The dirty water posed a health risk to swimmers and surfers, many of whom hit the beach irrespective of the weather, he said. "The community has a right to know when they are swimming in waste water," he said. Mr Secord said he wanted the government to issue mandatory media and community alerts when waste water was flowing directly onto beaches. The government is being sought for comment.