The Malinauskas Labor Government is fixing a smelly problem in Morphett Vale.
Intermittent smells from the sewers will soon be snuffed out for southern suburbs residents, with a new $6.7 million odour control unit to be installed at Morphett Vale to improve the management of localised sewer network odour.
The unit – which is an intricate system of filters, pipes, and valves – will connect into the sewer network through an existing pipe near Timothy Road, where it can extract and treat odorous gases such as hydrogen sulphide.
While safe at the low levels emitted by sewers – which is a necessary to ventilate the network and reduce the risk of corrosion – these gases are responsible for creating the unpleasant odour local residents may have noticed at times.
The odour control unit will pull the gases out using two large extraction fans and treat them through a combination of a biofilter and activated carbon filters.
Biofilters harness air to help microorganisms break up organic material in sewage gases, while the carbon filters neutralise smells by trapping molecules through adsorption – eliminating around 99.9 per cent of odour.
Once treated, clean and odourless air will be released from the unit by a 15-metre-tall vent stack.
Following feedback from residents, SA Water tracked the movement of odour within a targeted area of Morphett Vale, and pinpointed the source of elevated odours to a specific trunk main responsible for transferring large volumes of sewage.
The change in topography and resulting grades in this section of the sewer network causes turbulence and faster hydrogen sulphide release.
The unit will be strategically built on a section of land between Timothy Road and Yeldham Drive, due to its proximity to this pipe and ability to ventilate upstream and downstream sections – treating the odour before it's noticeable to residents.
Detailed design work for the new odour control unit is now underway, with SA Water expected to commence construction in early 2025.
As put by Nick Champion
Our sewers play an essential role in protecting public health and it's important every effort is made to ensure operation of this infrastructure happens as seamlessly as possible without impacting the local community.
The new odour control unit to be installed at Morphett Vale is a great example of SA Water investing in a fit-for-purpose solution, which is in direct response to ongoing feedback from its customers.
This is just one of the many projects set to be delivered as part of SA Water's record $3.3 billion capital program aimed at improving their services for South Australians.
I encourage residents to keep an eye on their letterboxes for updates on the project as it gets closer to the start of construction.
As put by Katrine Hildyard
The new odour control unit is welcome news for Morphett Vale community members. I am really pleased that this problem is being fixed.
Many local community members and visitors to our area know how off-putting this smell can be and I am proud that our State Government is listening to people and has found a solution that eradicates this odour.
I look forward to chatting with the people of Morphett Vale about how this unit helps stop the stench!
