A LONGSTANDING plumbing feud between a Fremantle resident and the Water Corporation has reached its boiling point after his Burt Street home was inundated by a sewage spill while he was on holiday.

Tom Brett returned from his overseas trip in October to discover his bathroom, back kitchen and walls had been covered with water and sewage.

In the garden outside, his overflow shaft was full of sewage and “large amounts of faecal remnants”.

“There were about 5000 mozzies, and they were the size of drones,” Dr Brett told the Herald.

He spent over three hours attempting to mop up the mess as sewage continued to pour out.

• Tom Brett (right) and his neighbour Max Sneddon standing where the doctor came home to find “nine inches” of thick sewage spewing out of his drain. When it’s thick, you can imagine what was in there… Photo
by Steve Grant

Plumber

Dr Brett contacted the Water Corporation, but was told because his home sits on a common party line with three other properties, it was not their responsibility to fix.

He managed to get a plumber the next day who discovered tree roots obstructing the piping 11 metres away in a neighbouring property.

But when Dr Brett contacted the property manager, he was told last time they’d looked the plumbing on their side was fine and the owners weren’t interested in taking any action. 

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Dr Brett believes the Water Corporation needs to take the lead and find an immediate and permanent solution.

“This is a public health issue that needs to be resolved and proper access to sewerage provided,” he said.

His isn’t the only Burt Street property affected by the 100-year-old earthenware pipes that link to their modern PVC connections, and he says if the Water Corp would provide connections via adjoining properties on Malcolm Street, and with access points in their own backyards, the affected neighbours would be able to look after their own problems.

Dr Brett says the Water Corporation knows about problems with old piping in the area and suspects his spill resulted from one of its temporary fixes.

A neighbour received a warning letter from the Water Corporation just before the spill saying it would be flushing sewer pipes “that have a history of blockages” mid-October.

Health emergency

“… we will use a high-pressure water jet to clear any build-ups of tree roots, fats and oils, and rags inside the pipe,” the letter said.

Dr Brett said he didn’t get a copy of the letter and was overseas anyway, but says if the spill resulted from the flushing, Water Corp should take responsibility and fix the problem.

A similar blockage occurred in 2020, 10 metres beyond his property line, and Dr Brett says Water Corp again washed its hands of the problem.

He says apart from the smell and inconvenience, Perth’s sewage is known to contain traces of Covid and all sorts of other nasties, making any spills a health emergency.

The Herald sent questions to Water Corp and will provide an update when the answers arrive.

by RACHEL JENNINGS
and STEVE GRANT