One of Canberra's finest ornamental pools was turned into a stinking mess, The Canberra Times reported on this day 49 years ago today.
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A large oil slick covered parts of Nerang Pool and it was believed to have come from the inner-city light industrial hub on Lonsdale Street, Braddon.
Having found its way through storm water drains, the oil worked its way into the roundabout pool at the intersection of Coranderrk Street and Parkes Way, where it was thick and strewn with rubbish. The oil then on through a drain into Nerang Pool.
Heavy rain had likely washed the oil through a complicated baffle filter system.
The pool's water lilies from many parts of Australia has been covered with a film of oil, which had also blackened parts of the pool's paved edge.
Under Section 54 of the ACT Police Offences Ordinance, anyone found dumping refuse in drains could be fined $20 and made to pay for the damage.
Meanwhile, the US defence base at Pine Gap, near Alice Springs, was believed to be responsible for the control and monitoring of the latest US military satellite launched the week before.