Wurtulla residents hope “a big stink’’ that has been sweeping across their suburb for more than a year is finally over.
The suburb has long been complaining of terrible smells linked to issues with a sewer pump station in Fantail Place.
It is situated next to a walkway between the Park Haven retirement village and a canal estate.
Residents and dog walkers told Sunshine Coast News problems had existed on and off for more than 12 months and the stench, at times, was unbearable.
“I take the dog past there all the time and there are often trucks blocking the narrow street, cones out and workers on their phones … it’s been relentless,’’ one local said.
“The number of call-outs I’ve seen, and resources used, it must have cost a fortune. I mean, how long does it take to fix something like that?’’
Another resident said the stench hit homes on the beach side of the station when westerly winds blew, and the smell permeated the retirement community and homes to the west during easterlies.
The latest operation on the stinky station was conducted last week – a surprise because it was thought the longer-term issues had been fixed.
Unitywater executive manager for customer delivery Rhett Duncan said that during investigations completed last year, it was identified that the pump installed in the sewer pump station on Fantail Place had become worn due to age.
Mr Duncan said the pump was no longer capable of handling the volume of rags and wet wipes discharged by the nearby properties.
“This is a timely reminder to not flush anything except the three Ps – pee, poo and toilet paper. The pump was replaced with a spare while a new pump was sourced,’’ he said.
Mr Duncan said a further investigation last week was required to understand why, despite a new pump, the station was not running at normal operation.
“The new pump has been ruled out as being the cause (of the latest issue) and the downstream sewers were inspected to confirm no blockages present,” he said.
“On August 5, two tanker trucks were sent to site to empty the well to allow inspection of the riser pipework.
“An issue was identified with the reflux valve and crews have carried out a temporary repair to allow the station to operate normally while a replacement valve is sourced and installed.’’
Mr Duncan said the replacement of the repaired valve would occur once a replacement could be sourced. Unitywater did not say how long this might take.
“The system is remotely monitored and if an issue arises, it will be addressed,’’ he said.
“We acknowledge this can be an inconvenience and frustrating for local residents and would like to assure them we are committed to providing a safe and reliable sewerage service.’’
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