A sewer manhole next to California Gully Creek overflowed on May 18 and discharged about 2000 litres of sewage into the waterway.

A spokeswoman for Coliban Water said tree roots had blocked the line and caused the overflow.

“Staff educted and cleaned up the site,” the spokeswoman said.

“EPA (the Environment Protection Authority) were notified at the time of the spill.”

The spokeswoman said the sewage had been contained in two natural pools in the creek within 50 metres of the manhole.

“As part of the spill clean up process, signage was put in place around the spill site,” she said. 

“Signs are to remain in place for between seven to 10 days.”

People and pets are warned against drinking the water, or swimming, fishing or playing in the waterway.

The incident follows an incident in North Bendigo last July.

Up to a million litres of raw sewage spilled into Long Gully Creek, with suction trucks and pumps used to clean up the site.

At the time residents described the stench as "pretty horrible", and a Coliban spokesperson had described the spill as “significant”.

Less than a fortnight later, a manhole overflowed in Quarry Hill, flooding the area with sewage.

Jordana Edwards said the area had frequently flooded with sewage when it rained, which had been an issue for 15 years. 

“Imagine having 40,000 litres of poo and God knows whatever else on your footpath," she said at the time.

“It’s an ongoing problem.”