Latest news with #Bulimba-HamiltonSiphonRenewalProgram
Sydney Morning Herald
21-07-2025
- Climate
- Sydney Morning Herald
The big stink: This is how much raw sewage is being dumped into the Brisbane River
Complications with a 'once in a generation' under river infrastructure project is forcing officials to dump millions of litres of raw sewage and stormwater directly into the Brisbane River. Nine News can exclusively reveal 540 megalitres have been discharged in the past 18 months and the practice is set to continue for months, if not years. The problem stems from the $210 million Bulimba-Hamilton Siphon Renewal Program. The project involves restoring a tunnel between 1948 and 1954, used to transport sewage from a catchment of about 150,000 residents on Brisbane's southside to the Luggage Point Resource Recovery Centre on the north, for processing. The project hit a complication in January 2024 where a pipe within the tunnel burst. Now, during times of heavy rain, sewage and stormwater must be discharged into the river, to prevent the entire system overloading. Nine News exclusively obtained the data from the Department of Environment, which issues permits for the releases. Urban Utilities chief executive Paul Arnold said the sewage is filtered through a 'grid' and is usually 'heavily diluted' by stormwater.
The Age
21-07-2025
- Climate
- The Age
The big stink: This is how much raw sewage is being dumped into the Brisbane River
Complications with a 'once in a generation' under river infrastructure project is forcing officials to dump millions of litres of raw sewage and stormwater directly into the Brisbane River. Nine News can exclusively reveal 540 megalitres have been discharged in the past 18 months and the practice is set to continue for months, if not years. The problem stems from the $210 million Bulimba-Hamilton Siphon Renewal Program. The project involves restoring a tunnel between 1948 and 1954, used to transport sewage from a catchment of about 150,000 residents on Brisbane's southside to the Luggage Point Resource Recovery Centre on the north, for processing. The project hit a complication in January 2024 where a pipe within the tunnel burst. Now, during times of heavy rain, sewage and stormwater must be discharged into the river, to prevent the entire system overloading. Nine News exclusively obtained the data from the Department of Environment, which issues permits for the releases. Urban Utilities chief executive Paul Arnold said the sewage is filtered through a 'grid' and is usually 'heavily diluted' by stormwater.
