The State Government is fixing a smelly problem in Morphett Vale.

Intermittent smells from the sewers will soon be snuffed out for southern suburbs residents, with a new $6.7 million odour control unit to be installed at Morphett Vale to improve the management of localised sewer network odour.   

The unit – which is an intricate system of filters, pipes, and valves – will connect into the sewer network through an existing pipe near Timothy Road, where it can extract and treat odorous gases such as hydrogen sulphide.

While safe at the low levels emitted by sewers – which is a necessary to ventilate the network and reduce the risk of corrosion – these gases are responsible for creating the unpleasant odour local residents may have noticed at times.

The odour control unit will pull the gases out using two large extraction fans and treat them through a combination of a biofilter and activated carbon filters.

Biofilters harness air to help microorganisms break up organic material in sewage gases, while the carbon filters neutralise smells by trapping molecules through adsorption – eliminating around 99.9 per cent of odour.

Once treated, clean and odourless air will be released from the unit by a 15-metre-tall vent stack.

Following feedback from residents, SA Water tracked the movement of odour within a targeted area of Morphett Vale, and pinpointed the source of elevated odours to a specific trunk main responsible for transferring large volumes of sewage.  

The change in topography and resulting grades in this section of the sewer network causes turbulence and faster hydrogen sulphide release.

The unit will be strategically built on a section of land between Timothy Road and Yeldham Drive, due to its proximity to this pipe and ability to ventilate upstream and downstream sections – treating the odour before it’s noticeable to residents.

Detailed design work for the new odour control unit is now underway, with SA Water expected to commence construction in early 2025.