FOLLOWING multiple complaints from Hamilton residents of a persistent sewage stench from Wannon Water’s  Hamilton Wastewater Treatment Plant, the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria has undertaken a formal inspection.

While no breaches of regulations or licensing conditions by Wannon Water have been found, the EPA has stressed the importance of reporting any smell immediately so the regulator may garner information on the extent of any issues arising.

EPA Victoria south west regional manager, Carolyn Francis, was made aware of the community’s concerns about the odour from the Hamilton facility following an article published in The Hamilton Spectator on May 3.

Ms Francis said EPA officers were in contact with the operator, Wannon Water, to follow up on community concerns. 

“The plant’s licence includes strict conditions, including the requirement that any odour should not leave the premises, and any breaches must be reported to EPA,” Ms Francis said.

“The Hamilton plant is run under an EPA licence that allows it to accept and store up to 2200 tonnes of dry, treated sewage sludge from Hamilton, Warrnambool, Port Fairy and Portland, for further treatment to enable it to be used as fertiliser.

“Investigating reports of odour and using regulation to ensure any problems are resolved is a common task for EPA officers around the state, and we urge the public to report odour promptly.”

Ms Francis said information received from the public regarding the nature and frequency of the smell was needed to help establish the source.

“We encourage members of the public to report odour to EPA’s 24 hotline or via the website, with the time, location and type of odour,” she said.

“It all helps to trace and confirm the source and have it resolved and allows us to provide direct updates to those people.”

Wannon Water acting managing director, Simon Hermans, responded to the initial story with a letter to the editor in The Spectator on May 10, to correct what he said were some misleading claims, under the title using the plant’s interchangeable name, the Hamilton Biosolids Facility.

However, whilst Wannon Water asserted that “odour particles from biosolids are not harmful” - biosolids are only the resultant product after several years of drying - it is the interim product - the sludge - created from treated human sewage - that has allegedly produced a highly offensive smell according to some Hamilton residents, described as “vile”.

Pioneer Street resident, Joseph Tassone, refuted Wannon Water’s claim that the product was not harmful, stating that he and his partner were frequently forced to leave their house due to the smell.

“I have sent emails to Wannon Water advising them of how sick we are,” he said.

Wannon Water were asked to provide information on what chemicals were used to deodorise the smell at Hamilton but did not respond to this specific community concern.

Members of the public can report pollution by calling EPA’s 24-hour hotline on 1300 372 842 or providing details online at epa.vic.gov.au/report-pollution/reporting-pollution