Sydney Water has been accused of damaging regenerated bushland in the Wolli Creek Regional Park to gain access to a sewer shaft.
Sydney Water said the work was undertaken by sub-contractors and an area was cleared outside the original scope of approved works.
A full investigation is underway.
Wolli Creek Preservation Society (WCPS) president Peter Stevens said the clearing done was over double that specified in the Review of Environmental Factors provided.
"Workers cleared a three-metre swathe of bushland for 40-metres from Johnston Street, Earlwood to the shaft and cleared an area of 10-metres by 8-metres around it.
"The bushland affected is part of the Wolli Creek Regional Park lands and has been patiently managed and regenerated with native plants over two decades by community volunteers from the Wolli Creek Preservation Society," he said.
"No consultation, or even forewarning, was undertaken with WCPS to enable impacts on regenerated bushland to be minimised.
"This is an act of environmental vandalism. It has destroyed a significant area with native trees (including Blackbutt, Angophora, Blueberry Ash, Casuarina), shrubs (including Native Olive, Breynia, Kunzea, Leucopogons), and ground covers (notable among them, Greenhood Orchids and many native grasses) all indiscriminately cut down or crushed.'
"We call on Sydney Water to fund major amounts of bush restoration work by professionals in the Johnston Street bushland as some small recompense for the destruction they have allowed and for the consequent volunteer demoralisation caused by their agents," he said.
A Sydney Water spokesperson said that vegetation removal and trimming has taken place by Sydney Water sub-contractors at Wolli Creek Regional Park to enable access to a maintenance hole as part of the Sewer and Stormwater Relining Program.
"Relevant approvals for the scope of works were obtained by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife and Sydney Water's Review of Environmental Factors (REF)," the spokesperson said.
"Although project controls were in place to ensure compliance with the relevant approvals an area outside the original scope was cleared.
"A full investigation is currently underway, including consultation with the Wolli Creek Preservation Society, local council and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife."
