By Tanya Steele
A sewer spill with an unknown cause was investigated and managed by South East Water which potentially impacted waterways around Belgrave last week.
Posting to social media on 8 July, South East Water stated there was a sewer spill between Monbulk Road and Clematis Bushland Reserve in Belgrave with overflow into creeks in the Sherbrooke, Clematis and Monbulk area.
At the time of the post, South East Water said that as a precaution, residents and their animals should not use or handle the water in the Sherbrooke, Clematis and Monbulk Creek.
South East Water acting general manager of service delivery Andrew Forster-Knight said the company understands the Belgrave sewer spill might have been concerning news for some residents and community members.
“We’re sorry for any mess and potential smells caused, as well as any subsequent impacts to community activities,” he said.
“Once alerted to the spill, we responded immediately to manage it. Our priority was clean-up and repair works, and we continued to closely monitor the area. This included daily water quality testing to monitor and mitigate the impacts on the environment, including any endangered flora and fauna.”
Advisory signs were put in place until water quality results for the area were received and the company said the Environment Protection Authority Victoria and Yarra Ranges Council, as well as other authorities, were alerted to the spill.
South East Water confirmed with Star Mail on Monday 15 July that quality results on Saturday 13 July showed the water was all clear at Sherbrooke, Clematis and Monbulk Creeks.
Mr Forster-Knight said through sewer maintenance and monitoring programs, the company do everything possible to avoid sewer spills.
“They sometimes happen because of a build-up of tree roots and fats and/or asset failure,” he said.
“We use thousands of sensors and systems with alarms that detect potential blockages or overflows across our network before they impact our customers or the environment.
“Unfortunately, on this occasion the spill was caused by a failure on a pipe, which we’ve now replaced.”
Residents and visitors can stay up-to-date with the latest information on the South East Water Facebook page.
