Smelly drains flushed ahead of market day

UPDATED: Council workers will be at Salamanca Market today monitoring the smelly drains that have plagued stallholders for weeks.

A mat used to cover a stinky drain in Salamanca Place to try and stop market customers noticing the stench. Picture: SUPPLIED

UPDATED: Council workers will be at Salamanca Market today monitoring the smelly drains that have plagued stallholders for weeks.

Hobart City Council said the odour issue last Saturday was caused by a number of factors, including the high tide causing the stormwater to flow back up the drains as well as a blockage.

Council workers flushed the stormwater system earlier in the week to try to get rid of the smell.

Council said the problem should be fixed and there should be no issue at today’s market.

EARLIER: The stinky Salamanca drains that have plagued stallholders for weeks have been flushed out ahead of today’s market.

Shoppers and stallholders were last week confronted by a particularly horrible stench from a drain near Kelly’s Steps in Salamanca Place.

STORMWATER DRAINS RELEASE HORRIBLE STENCH

Earlier this week council workers flushed the stormwater system to try to get rid of the smell. They will now investigate further to see if contaminants have seeped in.

Black mats are usually placed over stormwater drains in Salamanca on market days.

When it rains the system is generally self-cleaning, but there has been no significant downpour in the state’s capital since early February.

Angry stallholders say the foul odour was an issue every Saturday and was worse early in the morning or on hot days.

Holly Farley, whose stall was only metres away from one of the smelly drains last Saturday, would like to see a permanent fix.

She said the stench was particularly bad when the temperature nearly hit 40C earlier this month.

“It’s extremely stinky at times, particularly in extreme weather conditions,” she said.

“Pretty much every Saturday morning it’s quite a strong scent. I’m getting slightly impervious to it though, because between that and the sausages, I think my scent is slowly shutting down.”

Nearby stallholder Emma Hope said customers regularly commented on the smell.

“They’re quite confused as to what could possibly be emitting such a stench,” she said.

“It’s a pretty disappointing impression to be making, especially on tourists.

“Tasmania has a supposedly clean green image and then our number one tourist attraction, Salamanca Market … smells like a toilet.

“I think they acknowledge there is a problem by the fact there’s rubber mats on there, but it doesn’t actually do anything to alleviate the problem.”

Alderman Simon Behrakis said the market was the City of Hobart’s top tourist attraction and it needed to be looked after.

A sewage stench at Salamanca Market was also a problem in February last year. TasWater and the Hobart City Council investigated at the time but were unable to determine the cause of the odour.

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