UP TO a million litres of raw sewage spilled from a manhole into Long Gully Creek in North Bendigo yesterday morning.
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Coliban Water was notified of the spill about 9am and a spokeswoman said the spill was contained within the creek.
Suction trucks and pumps were used to clean up the site. The clean-up continued last night.
It’s expected to take several days to clean the area, located near the intersection of Holdsworth and Prouses roads in North Bendigo.
Nearby resident Hayley DeAraugo described the stench as “pretty horrible”.
“We live just in front of the spill,” she said. “It’s all right until you get to the back part. We have no idea (what’s happening).”
Ms DeAraugo said Coliban Water had not told residents anything about the spill.
A spokeswoman for the company described the incident as “significant”.
“A significant sewer spill has been detected today from a manhole located near Long Gully Creek at the corner of Holdsworth Road and Prouses Road, North Bendigo,” she said.
“It is estimated up to one megalitre of sewage has spilled from the manhole.”
The spokeswoman said the clean-up would continue for several days.
Several truckloads of waste were pumped and removed from the site yesterday.
The Environmental Protection Agency was notified of the incident and a spokeswoman said the clean-up was being undertaken “to our satisfaction.”
“EPA will be expecting an incident report from Coliban Water and will investigate this further,” she said.
Coliban Water said tree roots had blocked the sewer main, causing sewage to flow into the creek.
The blockage was cleared about 11am. Coliban Water said customers had not been affected.
