Gold Coast sewerage network system: Bizarre finds and the perks of the job

Council workers have recovered dozens of bizarre items from city’s sewerage network, some of which paint a disturbing picture of life on the Gold Coast. SEE THE FULL LIST

BULLETS, $50 notes, Rolex watches.

No, this isn’t a gangster movie, these are just some of the bizarre items found in Gold Coast sewers.

Every month, workers haul out about 120 tonnes of sand and gravel from the city’s 3393km network of sewerage mains.

Other odd items crews find include false teeth, bike pedals, beach towels, hypodermic needles, nappies, razors, paint, cleaning products — but not the ones used for toilets — food and cooking oil.

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Gold Coast City Council’s manager network for reliability Alan Whyte said workers even found unused medicine.

“That’s an issue,” he told the Bulletin.

“It’s actually just adding to the chemical load. We have to treat it.

“We take it to treatment plants for solids and water is treated and re-used in large quantities in parks and golf courses.”

Gold Coast City Council employees Erik van den Arend and Gary Sabin at the Merrimac Waste Transfer Station. Picture: Jerad Williams

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Mr Whyte said workers also regularly find wet wipes blocking sewerage pipes in the mistaken belief that they are flushable.

“They don’t back down, they clump up, it causes blockages and results in sewerage overflow into your own house or your neighbours,” he said.

“The only things that should go down your toilet is toilet paper and bodily functions.”

Mr Whyte said most of the underground network worked on gravity, but because much of the city was flat, there were also 526 sewerage pump stations to help move things along.

The waste comes from residential toilets, as well as local businesses and companies.

Mr Whyte said despite the sometimes unglamorous nature of the job, working in the water and sewerage business was quite fulfilling.

“You’re working for sanitisation, that’s very satisfying,” he said.

“We’re doing something that really benefits the health of the community. It’s behind the scenes until something goes wrong.”

It can cost thousands of dollars to unblock a sewerage pipe or one of the city’s 526 sewerage pump stations, he said.

WHAT THEY FOUND

Concrete

Gravel

Beach towels

Bullets

$50 note

False teeth

Rolex watch

Nappies

Razors

Cooking oil

Paint

Cleaning products

Wet wipes

Food

Unused medicine

Brake pedals

Hypodermic needles