Burst sewerage pipe at Bruce Lee Reserve still wreaking havoc for families and businesses
Almost a week after a burst sewerage pipe caused a domino effect in Perth's south, residents and businesses are still trying to cope with the consequences of the infrastructure failure.
On Friday, a sewerage pipe burst in the suburbs of Hamilton Hill and Spearwood, causing wastewater to flow down a residential street into two homes and the front yards of another four.
Residents were told to stay away from Hamilton Road and Watsonia Park in Spearwood, and heed warning signs and barricades put in place to protect the community.
Authorities switched off the pump stations and diverted the sewage away from the area.
But the redirected pressure caused a second burst in Beaconsfield on Saturday.
That rupture caused a large pool of wastewater to gather at Bruce Lee Reserve.
Parts of South Fremantle and Fremantle's Fishing Boat Harbour were also impacted, while sewage leaked into the Swan River through drains in Alfred Cove and Applecross.
Beaconsfield resident Kaity lives across the road from Bruce Lee Reserve and despite regularly asking the workers outside her home, has no idea when the mess will be cleaned up.
"One day they'll tell us it'll be fixed tomorrow and then the next day it'll be a couple of weeks," she told ABC Radio Perth.
Kaity and her five-year-old daughter walk past the pool of waste gathered on the oval every day to go to school.
"She gets a little mask because it's really not good for her to be breathing [in]."
The young family has resorted to extreme lengths to try keep the smell out of her home.
They've rolled towels under the bottom of doors, used sprays and incense and have avoided cooking at home.
The rain on Tuesday did not help.
"It made a bit of a mud slide straight down Caesar Street … it is disgusting," she said.
The Bruce Lee Reserve is also home to the bustling Freo Farmers Market which attracts thousands of people every Sunday.
The weekly event temporarily relocated to the Fremantle Arts Centre.
But it will be weeks before the sewage-soaked lawn will be safe to host fresh produce and crowds of people, leaving market manager Kylie Wheatkey scrambling for a longer term alternative.
"It's been a very busy time for me, my phone is blowing up," she said.
"I'm calming down those [vendors] that were upset.
"This is their livelihoods … these are local families that depend on it."
Authorities have told Ms Wheatley it will be about a month until the reserve is deemed safe.
Water Minister Don Punch said he had visited the impacted site, and understood the frustration of locals.
"I've experienced it, and I certainly understand what residents are living with," he said.
"The Water Corporation has set up a communications van out in the Spearwood area.
"We are all working incredibly hard to make sure that the clean up is effective and that people's health and safety is not put at risk."
Water Corporation chief executive Pat Donovan said repairs were still underway.
"We do have to prefabricate a piece of pipe to install in Spearwood. We're hoping to get that done by the end of this week," he said.
"Hopefully that should help pressure on the other repair that needs to be done at Beaconsfield."
He said sewage overflow into the Swan River at Alfred Cove, Applecross and the Fremantle Boat Harbour was resolved on Monday, but restrictions on water activities in the area remained.
Mr Donovan said sanitation works were also underway, but the spill at Bruce Lee Reserve would take some time to clean up.
"We want to make sure that we return this to the condition that it was in beforehand," he said.
"We will take the time to do that and do a proper job."
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