Be aware of sewerage system blockages says resident after foul experience

The resident's home, early in the year, was inundated with sewage because of a blockage.

He went down the path of trying to get Shoalhaven City Council to take responsibility but failed.

The resident [name withheld] then went to the NSW Ombudsman for help - without success.

He was told the NSW Ombudsman can "only insist on council giving an explanation for their decision".

The NSW Ombudsman does not make any determination about whether the decision is reasonable or not.

A response the Milton Ulladulla Times got from Shoalhaven City Council prompted the resident about wanting to alert other residents - he does not want what happened to him to be experienced by others.

"There will often be signs inside a home that the sewerage system is blocked. These signs might include gurgling noises in sanitary drains, sinks and toilets that are slow to drain, sewage odours or effluent overflow," was what the resident picked up from council's response.

The resident was not at his property at the time of the incident.

"One of our neighbours did happen to mention after the event that he had noticed minor signs odours and small overflows in the surrounding streets, although his house was not affected," the resident said.

"He obviously did not report this to the council, but, if he had done so, the blockage may have been cleared and our problem avoided."

The resident decided that an article drawing attention to the early warning signs and highlighting that these blockages need to be urgently reported to council may be of general use to the community.

He also wanted to highlight that council would not take any responsibility for damage resulting from these situations.

Council did provide the Milton Ulladulla Times with a detailed response.

Sewer blockages are a serious matter and Shoalhaven City Council's water utility, Shoalhaven Water, responds to any reported blockages in its system as a priority.

Blockages occur when something inside the pipe stops it from working properly - typically tree roots or items such as wet wipes and hygiene products that have been flushed down the toilet.

Blockages can result in a backflow of sewage impacting on private property.

There is no way to prevent these blockages and residents are advised to dispose of wet wipes and hygiene products using their household waste collection service.

These products do not break down in the sewerage system and can also cause problems once they reach the sewage treatment plant.

Council accepts that some blockages will result in damage to private property however it cannot be held liable for any damage to private property if it has no prior knowledge of the actual blockage or incident that resulted in the damage.

Council had no prior knowledge of the blockage that resulted in damage to a property in Narrawallee.

Once it became aware of the problem it was quickly rectified.

This particular blockage was caused by tree roots.

There will often be signs inside a home that the sewerage system is blocked.

These signs might include gurgling noises in sanitary drains, sinks and toilets that are slow to drain, sewage odours or effluent overflow.

Residents experiencing any of these problems are asked to notify Shoalhaven Water on (02) 4429 3214 before they contact a plumber and it will be investigated as a matter of urgency.

Shoalhaven Water will either clear the blockage (if it is in a council main) or advise the resident to call a licensed plumber if the problem is located on private land.

Shoalhaven Water does not have responsibility for any problems beyond the connection point to its sewer main.