Upgrades to Birkdale's sewerage system are creating an unexpected storm of controversy, as Debrin Foxcroft discovers.
A man's home is said to be his castle. But the day Stuart Parker came home to the smell of sewage more than a year ago, his castle became a nightmare.
Thankfully for Mr Parker, the sewage leak wasn't in his home. The pungent smell came from a neighbour's property just along the private right-of-way they share. But it was a symptom of a major problem. The stormwater and sewerage pipes beneath these houses in Birkdale have reached capacity. Any extra pressure on the system will blow the pipes.
This is not news to many people in the area. Sewerage and stormwater pipes in Birkenhead and Northcote have been problematic for quite some time. So much so that the council has begun a sizeable three-stage project, known as Birkdale A, B and C, to install new pipes and repair some of the existing pipes.
However, when the council called for submissions on the Birkdale project, Mr Parker objected.
"We all understand this area needs an upgrade," he says. "But the galling part of this proposal is that the new sewer will go right down private property and reasonably close to the foundations of our houses."
Plans for the second stage of the work show the council's plan to drill under the private right-of-way. Mr Parker describes the houses on the side of the hill as being built on stilts.
"When we bought this house we recognised that, with a stormwater creek running near our property, there would be some erosion. But the rate it has been happening because of the pressure on the pipes is ridiculous."
What will happen when the council digs right next to the base of our homes, he asks.
According to Thien Yet Liew, project engineer for North Shore City Council, the 4.5km-long existing sewer main from Highbury to Beach Haven serves a population of 10,000 people and has reached capacity, causing frequent sewer overflows.
"The 45-year-old pipe is currently being replaced by a much larger pipe, able to meet current and future population demands," says the engineer. "The Birkdale catchment has severe wastewater overflow problems, approximately 30 overflows a year."
Mr Yet Liew says that before a pipe is laid, the council considers a number of economic and practical factors and prefers to lay pipes under council-owned land. However, some pipes need to be put on private land and the council tries to diminish the negative impact of the work.
"In the case of Mr Parker's house, the new 500mm-diameter sewer pipe is located under the access right of-way and about 14m deep, fully encased in rock, so it is envisaged that there will be no impact on the stability of his house."
Mr Parker is not convinced. He has had regular contact with the council over the past two years with what he says are limited results. He is worried that affected homeowners will lose out in the long-term.
"There are certain pressure points in the system and we are one of them," he says. "Upgrades need to happen but at what cost to us as individual homeowners?"
Pipe dreams down the drain
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