Latest news with #Unitywater
Courier-Mail
23-07-2025
- General
- Courier-Mail
Stench scare: ‘Rotten egg' mystery grips coast, and it's not sewers
Residents along Australia's stunning coastline fear it was burst sewer mains or pipes, but the truth behind a mystery gag-inducing stench is even more bizarre. Local water authorities along the coast have been bombarded with complaints over a putrid 'rotten egg' stench filling the air in the depths of Australia's winter, but investigators have found it's not any sewer pipes to blame as residents had expected. MORE: 'Super creepy': Mysterious Aus 'old haunted house' for sale Inside billionaire Annie Cannon-Brookes' revamp of trashed island MORE: All the tax write offs Aussies can claim ATO's dragnet: Millions of side hustles face shock tax bill Regional water utility firm Unitywater was among those hit with a flood of calls over gag-inducing odours that many blamed on a wastewater disaster brewing underground. Locals up and down the coast have long noticed 'that smell in the evenings at this time of year', with one saying 'my family always said it was 'the swamp' as we grew up near the Boondall wetlands. But as I branch out from the northside I start to realise the smell is everywhere.' But after digging into the source of the stench, experts dropped a bombshell thankful that it's not their pipes at all but good ole Mother Nature at work – and the bad news for nostrils is there's nothing that can be done to stop it. Unitywater executive manager Rhett Duncan gave the wild explainer to its 800,000 customers along the Sunshine Coast to Noosa stretch which contain some of the most expensive real estate in Queensland. What's happening is 'when mangroves drop their seeds, bacteria helps breakdown the organic matter, producing a sulphur reaction, which creates sulphide gas and the associated odour', Mr Duncan said. MORE: Cash-strap student turns $40k to 38 homes Govt pays $3.3m for unliveable derelict house The odour is most common from May to November, thanks to cooler temperatures that trap the gas closer to the ground – and your nostrils regardless of which part of the country you're in. 'It's often described as a rotten egg smell and is most common between May and November, as cooler conditions disperse less sulphide gas and so it's more concentrated. This can be mistaken for wastewater odour,' Mr Duncan said. The water authority received hundreds of odour reports which were given priority status for investigation to ensure there were no problems in the wastewater network. 'We take these reports seriously and we understand odour can be a nuisance for the local community. We encourage residents who notice an odour to consider if it may in fact be coming from a nearby swamp, wetland or river.' Mr Duncan said residents should be able to detect if odour was caused by mangroves by considering how close they were to mangroves, the time of year, wind, seasonal changes in rainfall and temperature. MORE: Rate cut windfall: Aus big bank's shock new forecast Shock as city's distressed home listings surge 36pc in one month One visitor came straight out with it asking, 'why is Port Douglas stinky? I have noticed (mostly at night) a smelly stench wafting in the air. Had anyone noticed this before? Even better, does anyone know why Port Douglas seems to be so smelly? #farts'. There too, locals know what to watch for: 'Full moon, high tides of 3.2m at 9.30pm pushing the mangrove/inlet water up into the storm water drains'. A Queensland resident explained 'if your storm water culverts connect directly to a tidal creek or river, then on the turn of the tides (generally incoming tides) the waves push the mangrove-y swampy air up the pipes and out the grates. It happens here in the city. Mind you, it doesn't have to be tidal, but if the pipe is exposed the prevailing winds can do the same thing.' Most coastal Aussies have learned to live with the discomfort faced by their nostrils, which is only likely to get worse as Christmas nears: 'It's the time of year man, and we all know it yet we never speak of it. When it gets humid and wiping turns into a one handed paper-machete exercise, so we just give up and deal with the stink.' MORE: Qld home earns six times the average salary Million-dollar savings: Brisbane's bargain suburbs exposed Mother Nature and her mangroves are a protected species in Australia, authorities warn. 'While it can be a nuisance, in Queensland, all mangroves are protected and play an important role in stabilising riverbanks and channels,' Mr Duncan said. 'They also provide important habitat and food sources for local animals, including various species of waterbirds, fish and bees.' Residents have no other choice but to invent olfactory coping strategies or learn to love the stench. 'There's nothing swampy about it,' another coastal local said. 'To me it smells like Christmas is on the way. Like summer is on the horizon. Of a spring evening in the 1990s, Christmas beetles buzzing past, sunset spent with friends in the park.' Sometimes, no matter how expensive your home is, Mother Nature just chooses to stink up the place. How to spot a mangrove stink: -️ You live near swamps, wetlands or rivers -️ It's cold or recently rained -️ The wind is blowing your way -️ The smell worsens between May and November What you can do about it: – Close your windows – Wear a buff with a drop of your favourite scent – Nothing, sometimes nature just stinks. MORE REAL ESTATE NEWS
News.com.au
23-07-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Stench scare: ‘Rotten egg' mystery grips coast, and it's not sewers
Residents along Australia's stunning coastline fear it was burst sewer mains or pipes, but the truth behind a mystery gag-inducing stench is even more bizarre. Local water authorities along the coast have been bombarded with complaints over a putrid 'rotten egg' stench filling the air in the depths of Australia's winter, but investigators have found it's not any sewer pipes to blame as residents had expected. Regional water utility firm Unitywater was among those hit with a flood of calls over gag-inducing odours that many blamed on a wastewater disaster brewing underground. Locals up and down the coast have long noticed 'that smell in the evenings at this time of year', with one saying 'my family always said it was 'the swamp' as we grew up near the Boondall wetlands. But as I branch out from the northside I start to realise the smell is everywhere.' But after digging into the source of the stench, experts dropped a bombshell thankful that it's not their pipes at all but good ole Mother Nature at work – and the bad news for nostrils is there's nothing that can be done to stop it. Unitywater executive manager Rhett Duncan gave the wild explainer to its 800,000 customers along the Sunshine Coast to Noosa stretch which contain some of the most expensive real estate in Queensland. What's happening is 'when mangroves drop their seeds, bacteria helps breakdown the organic matter, producing a sulphur reaction, which creates sulphide gas and the associated odour', Mr Duncan said. MORE: Cash-strap student turns $40k to 38 homes Govt pays $3.3m for unliveable derelict house The odour is most common from May to November, thanks to cooler temperatures that trap the gas closer to the ground – and your nostrils regardless of which part of the country you're in. 'It's often described as a rotten egg smell and is most common between May and November, as cooler conditions disperse less sulphide gas and so it's more concentrated. This can be mistaken for wastewater odour,' Mr Duncan said. The water authority received hundreds of odour reports which were given priority status for investigation to ensure there were no problems in the wastewater network. 'We take these reports seriously and we understand odour can be a nuisance for the local community. We encourage residents who notice an odour to consider if it may in fact be coming from a nearby swamp, wetland or river.' Mr Duncan said residents should be able to detect if odour was caused by mangroves by considering how close they were to mangroves, the time of year, wind, seasonal changes in rainfall and temperature. Shock as city's distressed home listings surge 36pc in one month One visitor came straight out with it asking, 'why is Port Douglas stinky? I have noticed (mostly at night) a smelly stench wafting in the air. Had anyone noticed this before? Even better, does anyone know why Port Douglas seems to be so smelly? #farts'. There too, locals know what to watch for: 'Full moon, high tides of 3.2m at 9.30pm pushing the mangrove/inlet water up into the storm water drains'. A Queensland resident explained 'if your storm water culverts connect directly to a tidal creek or river, then on the turn of the tides (generally incoming tides) the waves push the mangrove-y swampy air up the pipes and out the grates. It happens here in the city. Mind you, it doesn't have to be tidal, but if the pipe is exposed the prevailing winds can do the same thing.' Most coastal Aussies have learned to live with the discomfort faced by their nostrils, which is only likely to get worse as Christmas nears: 'It's the time of year man, and we all know it yet we never speak of it. When it gets humid and wiping turns into a one handed paper-machete exercise, so we just give up and deal with the stink.' Million-dollar savings: Brisbane's bargain suburbs exposed Mother Nature and her mangroves are a protected species in Australia, authorities warn. 'While it can be a nuisance, in Queensland, all mangroves are protected and play an important role in stabilising riverbanks and channels,' Mr Duncan said. 'They also provide important habitat and food sources for local animals, including various species of waterbirds, fish and bees.' Residents have no other choice but to invent olfactory coping strategies or learn to love the stench. 'There's nothing swampy about it,' another coastal local said. 'To me it smells like Christmas is on the way. Like summer is on the horizon. Of a spring evening in the 1990s, Christmas beetles buzzing past, sunset spent with friends in the park.' Sometimes, no matter how expensive your home is, Mother Nature just chooses to stink up the place. How to spot a mangrove stink: -ï¸� You live near swamps, wetlands or rivers -ï¸� It's cold or recently rained -ï¸� The wind is blowing your way -ï¸� The smell worsens between May and November What you can do about it: – Close your windows – Wear a buff with a drop of your favourite scent – Nothing, sometimes nature just stinks.
News.com.au
04-06-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
Homeowners warned as 5.5m invasive monster ripped from yard
Experts have sound the alarm over silent alien invaders wreaking havoc in Aussie backyards that could cost homeowners thousands, as shocking footage shows a 5.5m monster torn from a tank. And they've placed some very popular species on the garden terrorist hit list for those likely to cause significant damage. This as nightmarish alien-like tentacles of a massive root system that seized control of an enormous water tank was exposed by tendrils that burst out the roof, forcing homeowners to destroy the entire system. Elliot Aisthorpe of Big Country Earthworks shared jaw-dropping footage of him pulling out a behemoth two-storey high monster out of the backyard watertank, warning it could happen to anyone who planted trees with invasive roots near their property. 'This is a great example why you should never plant trees with invasive roots near your home. You can just see what sort of damage they're going to cause,' he warned. 'Look at this little tree growing out of the top of the tank. Let's go and have a look and see what's inside. Holy moly. Look at the roots. No wonder why we're pulling these tanks down,' he said. 'I'm using my excavator here to pull them out. Have a guess how long you think these roots will be?' Shock twist as former Virgin CEO to tear down $17m mansion He was dwarfed standing next to it, like something out of a sci-fi horror film. 'Yep, that's me standing next to it. I'm a metre 85 and it's about three times the height of me.' Water supply firm Unitywater executive manager customer delivery Rhett Duncan warned they were now finding one in every three pipe blockages and overflows were caused by tree root invasion. In a six-month period across the Sunshine Coast, its crews attended more than 1300 blockage or wastewater overflow jobs, of which 439 were caused by tree roots. Shock as 65k Airbnb rentals banned 'Tree roots find their way into pipes to access the water and continue growing in there, effectively blocking the pipe or becoming a mass that other debris can attach to. They are then more difficult to remove and take our crews away from other jobs,' Mr Duncan said. 'Pipe blockages cause wastewater overflows in our infrastructure that can flow into and damage the environment, and in people's homes, up through toilets and shower recesses, causing a smelly mess and potential health risks or property damage.' 'We know how stressful it can be for our customers who experience overflows on their property, as well as the costs associated with replacing private pipes. We're asking the community to pause before they plant, consider the types of trees they're planting and plant them away from pipes.' To help boost awareness, Unitywater has put up a free online mapping tool so residents can uncover the hidden network of water and wastewater pipes – something most Aussie operators now do to help stop damage, 'Input your address to check if there are any Unitywater pipes on your property. It's good to know where your private pipes run too.' A planting guide has also been created to help residents know what to plant and how far away from pipes to do so, and Mr Duncan urged gardeners to check in with local nurseries as well who could advise on suitability of other plants with short root systems. GUIDE FOR HOMEOWNERS TO STOP INVASION: What not to plant Golden cane palm Gum tree (large species) Common fig Lilly pilly (large species) Umbrella tree (an environmental weed in this area) West African tulip (this a Class 3 weed) Pine tree Poinciana Jacaranda Broad – leafed paperbark Weeping paperbark Mango tree Coral tree Willow (all types) (this a Class 3 weed) Camphor Laurel (this a Class 3 weed) Wisteria Black bean What to plant Directly above or up to 1.5m away from water supply and wastewater pipes Blue flax lily Tall sedge Spiny-headed mat-rush Common tussock grass Kangaroo grass Common hovea Between 1.5m and 3m away from water supply and wastewater pipes Austral indigo Dogwood Dwarf banksia Hairy bush pea Sweet wattle Woombye bush Broad – leaved palm lily More than 3m away from water supply and wastewater pipes Blueberry ash
