Townsville City Council reveals results of investigation to stop sewage overflows

Townsville’s ‘Poonami Army’ is not celebrating just yet after the causes of the long-running sewage overflow problem were revealed. Read the latest stats.

Wulguru’s long-suffering “Poonami Army” will withhold judgment on the success of a comprehensive investigation into the suburb’s sewage overflow problem, which identified numerous defects and illegal connections.

For more than 30 years in some cases, sewage-swamped residents have complained bitterly about Townsville City Council’s alleged inaction on the problem, sick of sewage seeping out of drains, and into their properties in wet weather.

Determined to address the problem once and for all, the council embarked on an ambitious three-month-long Selective Inspection Program in April, where smoke testing identified broken infrastructure and illegal connections to the sewerage network in parts of Wulguru, Cluden, and Annandale.

Addressing the council’s Water and Resource Recovery Committee on Wednesday, Water and Resource Recovery general manager Travis Richards revealed that from 1887 properties were examined, 87 (4.6 per cent) had defects identified.

He said 50 defects were discovered at private properties, including 32 broken plumbing fixtures and 18 illegal connections.

TCC Water and Resource Recovery general manager Travis Richards praised Wulguru residents for their co-operation with smoke testing. Picture: Leighton Smith.

Letters were lodged with the affected residents giving them until October to remedy the problems, with 16 defects already rectified.

If residents did not fix their issues, he said they would receive another “stronger letter” stating either they fixed it or the council would come in to fix it and charge them for it.

“Thirty-seven defects were identified in council infrastructure, mainly manholes that were damaged or required to be raised to prevent storm water from entering,” Mr Richards said.

Poonami Army leader Leanne Dobbin has an array of equipment to deal with sewage flooding at her property. Picture: Leighton Smith.

“Currently 30 defects to council infrastructure have been rectified.”

He said the inspection program was complemented by the installation of automatic flow level sensors, providing real time recording of flows entering the network, to “attack the problem on two fronts”.

Poonami Army founder Leanne Dobbin was not popping the champagne corks just yet after the latest update.

Leanne Dobbin, standing in sewage in her backyard, was one of many Wulguru residents experiencing a “poonami” when the rain comes. Picture: Evan Morgan

Believing that repair works that began six months ago to rectify a “zillion faults” were yet to be completed, she intended to raise the issue in a letter to Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill.

“We believe that the smoke testing was a smokescreen and the background work was supposed to be getting done, and so for some reason it stalled,” Ms Dobbin said.

“We’re not confident that we’re going to not have sewage issues for the next wet (season).”

She called for the council to rectify its maintenance issues and to follow up the illegal connections.

The council has begun its next round of smoke testing for Railway Estate, South Townsville, and West End.

Originally published as Townsville City Council reveals results of investigation to stop sewage overflows