Unitywater discovers its largest ever fatberg

Unitywater has discovered the largest ever fatberg in its sewerage network at a sewage pump station in Brendale, Queensland. 

Weighing in at over a tonne, the smelly, congealed mass is a result of people flushing wet wipes, and other items that don’t belong in the sewer, down the toilet. 

Unitywater Executive Manager, Rhett Duncan, said it was an overnight job to clear the waste. 

“It took most of the night for our crews to lift the pump, dig the rags and fatberg off by hand, and get it operating again,” Mr Duncan said.

“It’s not a nice job and doesn’t smell very pleasant, but somebody has to do it, and we have the right crew for the task.

“But we’d love to be using the crews to do maintenance work elsewhere on our network.” 

Mr Duncan said fatbergs and blockages can easily be avoided by ensuring anything other than pee, poo and toilet paper are put in the bin.

“We ask people to only flush the Three Ps – pee, poo and toilet paper,” Mr Duncan said.

“The same goes for the kitchen sink – fats and oils belong in the bin as these can clog private plumbing as well as wreaking havoc on the sewerage network.

“If people are flushing things that don’t belong in the sewer, it can block private plumbing and that can certainly lead to expensive personal plumbing bills.”

Feature image: Provided.

Find Sewage Pumping Stations Related Companies In The Pump Industry Capability Guide

EagleBurgmann Australasia

Regal Rexnord IPS (Oceania)

NETZSCH Australia

Related articles

• NSW sewage pumping station upgrades complete
• Pump station renewal boosting asset lifespan
• $7.8M funding for new NSW sewage plant
• Melbourne Water Western Treatment Plant receiving $711M upgrade
• SA Water’s $64M WTP project progresses