RESIDENTS to the south-west of Hamilton have been affected by an additional stench originating from the Hamilton Sewage Treatment Works block.

Whilst some occasional unpleasant wafts have been part of the area, the problem appeared to be something of a more ongoing nature recently.

Wannon Water branch manager, Wayne Murdoch said the company was doing all it could to mitigate the problem.

“Biosolid material was being transported to Hamilton from Port Fairy and Warrnambool over the past 12 months,” he said.

“This was due to our principal facility at Camperdown undergoing maintenance.”

“We’ve operated the existing Hamilton facility with no complaints for a number of years and we are committed to working with nearby property owners to ensure this continues.”

One of the nearby residents contacted The Spectator and said the smell was well beyond anything they had experienced before.

“It's been a few weeks - we just couldn't work out what it was,” they said.

“The stink’s absolutely shocking … the smell’s been there every day.”

The resident, who did not wish to be named, said they saw the process of drying the material and weren’t impressed; the stench had been giving them headaches.

They said they had contacted Wannon Water and complained.

“(I told them) ‘come here and sit here for two hours and tell me you can put up with it’,” they said.

Mr Murdoch agreed the process occasionally created a pungent aroma especially this time of year, but the company was committed to minimising the problem.

“Processing and stockpiling generally occurs over warmer months and can generate odours,” he said.

“Our odour mitigation methods include minimising drying activities when prevailing winds may impact on nearby properties. This is why we stopped work on Friday until conditions improve.”

Biosolids are nutrient-rich organic materials processed from treated sewage sludge (the solid component of sewage removed during treatment).

The sludge is dried and composted for at least three years to satisfy guidelines set by the Environment Protection Authority.

It then becomes known as biosolids and is a product ready for beneficial reuse as a soil conditioner on local farms, mainly for broad acre agriculture, pasture and cropping.

Once processed, biosolids look, smell and feel like dark, rich organic soil.

Wannon Water said the innovative approach to reuse delivered environmental and economic benefits for farmers and avoided the problem of biosolids building up in stockpiles.