THE owner of a Woodbridge café which sits by the Swan River says he still has regulars dropping by for their morning coffee and some who bring their dogs for a walk along the river despite the wastewater spill in the Guildford and Viveash area.

The Westie Café owner Gerry Ludewig said business was quieter than usual due to the recent rain.

“With the rain that’s been around for the last few days, it’s just naturally been quiet anyway,” Mr Ludewig said.

“But we’ve still had our regular dog walkers, the people that come every day, and they’re still walking their dog along the river.”

He said there were still people fishing by the river even with the signs up.

“They just catch them then release them.”

Echo News spoke with one fisherman on Wednesday morning who said there was no smell coming from the river and the fish he caught looked healthy.

The fisherman said his catches after the weekend weren’t covered with slime.

“They get a slime around them sometimes if the water’s having problems,” he said.

Mr Ludewig said the issue of a wastewater spill happening in the area never crossed his mind.

“I’ve walked here for 20 years, along this part of the river, and it never crossed our mind that that would be any concern at all.”

The Guildford Viveash wastewater spill was the second major pipe burst within the past month with the first case recorded by Water Corporation in Spearwood and Beaconsfield in early June.

Water Minister Don Punch said incidents of this nature were rare despite the size and scale of WA’s wastewater network.

“However, we acknowledge any wastewater overflow is of concern and does not accord with community expectations,” Mr Punch said.

A Water Corp spokesperson said the damaged wastewater main was installed in 1973 and was well within its expected 80-plus-year lifespan.

“Continued investment in these networks is vital,” the spokesperson said.

Echo News asked Water Corp how much it would cost to upgrade the wastewater mains in Guildford, with the suburb being one of the oldest in Perth.

“This financial year, Water Corporation will spend a near-record $100 million on renewing water and wastewater assets in the metropolitan area,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said a health advice remained in place for a stretch of the Swan River from Guildford Road Bridge north to Reg Bond Reserve in Viveash.

“People should avoid all water-based recreational activities.”

Opposition Water spokesperson Peter Rundle called on the state government to undertake a full audit of WA’s wastewater infrastructure to prevent further environmental disasters.

“It’s completely unacceptable that raw sewage has made its way into the Swan River yet again,” Mr Rundle said.

“The Cook Labor Government and Water Corporation must provide answers,” Mr Rundle said.

Although the overflow occurred on Thursday, Mr Ludewig said he didn’t notice a smell and had no knowledge of the wastewater spill until Sunday when he bought the paper.

“I saw a guy hosing a drain and I thought, ‘Geez, that looks like my café’,” he said.

When he asked his staff about the wastewater, he was told that some customers and people at the park noticed health warning signs being put up along the river.

Mr Ludewig said there should have been more communication about the spill from Water Corporation and the City of Swan.

“No one’s come past here.

“We’ve had no communication from anyone here, which is pretty much standard, isn’t it really?”

The Water Corp spokesperson said the City of Swan and Town of Bassendean were promptly informed.

“As were four local schools, two businesses downstream of the overflow location, nearby residents and regulators.”