Rosebud, Sixth Avenue Ventilation Stack Upgrade

A ventilation stack is an above ground pipe that safely diffuses and dilutes treated gases from our underground sewer network high into the air.

A ventilation stack looks similar to a metal pipe with an opening at the top. Its height, diameter and appearance depend on the required ventilation and the area's wind pattern.

Sewage decomposes over time generating odorous gases. If these gases stay inside our sewer network they prematurely degrade the sewage infrastructure including the pump station at Sixth Ave, Rosebud that services your community. The amount of gas depends on your community’s sewage discharge which changes over time. To keep sewage infrastructure working safely and efficiently we pretreat these gases to reduce their odour.

The ventilation stack removes odour from our pump station by venting high above into the air to further dilute odours. This means you cannot smell the gases at ground levels and nearby properties, including two-storey buildings. We use best practice technology to treat the air prior to releasing it out of the ventilation stack.

As part of our ongoing asset monitoring and improvement program we've found the existing 9m tall ventilation stack is no longer suitable to service your community. We came to this decision following the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) approved modelling methods. 

We now need to upgrade the 9m stack to an 18m tall ventilation stack to meet EPA odour requirements. The new ventilation stack will have wind stabilising spirals at the top. We'll powder coat it with Dulux Anotec Silver Grey Matt or equivalent, so it blends in with the background as much as possible given varying weather conditions and time of the day. Please refer to our concept photos in the Fact Sheet below.

Noise

There will be no increase in noise from the ventilation stack upon completion of the upgrade. In most cases, ventilation stacks don't make any noise. The upgraded ventilation stack is designed to meet EPA noise level limits.

As part of the works, we'll also upgrade noise mitigation measures at the pump station in accordance with EPA guidelines.

Location
The ventilation stack location won't change and remain located within the boundary of the Sixth Avenue Pump Station.

Odour
We're not anticipating any unpleasant smells will be noticeable from the ventilation stack. The purpose of a ventilation stack is to remove and disperse sewer gases high into the air to mitigate odour and corrosion. 

During operations and maintenance activities at the pump station, there may be intermittent odours as we keep the doors open to maintain a safe means of access for our workers. This takes one day around every 3 months.

Construction hours
Regular construction hours are between 7am and 6pm, Monday to Friday (weather permitting). Work may occasionally be required outside of these hours. We'll let you know of any work required outside our regular construction hours.

Under the Water Act 1989, we're required to undertake these works in our licenced area to ensure safe, reliable and efficient operation of our network for all customers. We also operate under the Water Estimation, Supply and Sewerage Regulations 2014.

We must comply with regulations from the EPA, the Department of Health and other government agencies. This ensures all of our assets and infrastructure meet legal and statutory requirements regarding public safety and to ensure the health and wellbeing of operators and maintenance staff.