12:00a.m. 20th July 2008

The equivalent of four domestic swimming pools of raw sewage has poured into Obi Obi Creek at Maleny, causing widespread community concern and forcing the closure of the creek to recreational users.

Sunshine Coast Regional Council officials have confirmed about 150,000 litres of the sewage flowed from a broken pipe at a pump station in Maleny Showgrounds late last week.

Some locals claim it is a warning sign the town’s sewage infrastructure is unable to cope with new housing developments in the town.

Sunshine Coast Water operational regional manager Gary Sabburg said the 150 kilolitres of raw sewage had flowed into the creek before council workers were able to divert it into a waiting tanker and repair the pipe.

“It happens from time to time,” Mr Sabburg said.

“Pressure builds up in the system – (the pipe) should take it, but there is a possible weakness.”

He said the mess was cleaned up by Friday afternoon and warning signs erected on the creek banks.

The volume leaked was the equivalent of “four domestic swimming pools” but Mr Sabburg described it as a “small volume” compared to the creek’s flow.

The sewage treatment plant is a kilometre further downstream before the creek flows into Baroon Pocket Dam, the Coast’s largest water supply which will soon be supplying Brisbane homes.

Maleny’s water supply also comes from Obi Obi Creek but is drawn from a weir upstream from the site of the spill.

West Australian tourist John Appleby said the sewage had been flowing since at least Thursday lunchtime when he arrived to set up camp at the showgrounds.

“There was flowing water (from the pipe) – not a torrent, but it was running down the hill into the creek,” he said. Lake Baroon Catchment Group spokesman Peter Stevens said he believed a new sewage pipeline was being installed “because of all the housing developments”.

He understood some new pipes were being laid in the town’s Lawyer Street.

“But we will need a new sewage treatment plant itself as it can’t cope,” he said.

Platypus Action Group spokesman Jon Woodlands said the spill highlighted the need to restrict new development in Maleny “especially in the vicinity of the creek”.

“It’s up to us, the residents, to pressure the state government to uphold the values of the Maleny district as a water catchment area.”