Sewage overflow contained

Following a call to Council’s Customer Service Centre from a concerned member of the public earlier today [Friday], a sewage overflow was identified and contained at a manhole outside the Lake Edge Resort, adjacent to SH1.

Council Engineers activated emergency procedures immediately and managed to stop the overflow and clear the blockage causing the overflow within 27 minutes of the call being received. The overflow went into the stormwater system and an investigation is being carried out to establish whether it reached the lake. Water quality samples have been taken and thorough testing will be conducted over the next few days.

The cause of the blockage has been investigated and it has been confirmed that it occurred because of tree roots in the manhole. The tree roots have been cleared and the wastewater team have flushed the stormwater system and cleaned and disinfected the area.

The affected area has been closed and sign-posted until the Compliance team give notification that it is safe to re-enter.

Council Engineers will be exploring options to prevent this type of incident happening again in the future.