Complications with a “once in a generation” under-river infrastructure project are forcing officials to dump millions of litres of raw sewage and stormwater directly into the Brisbane River.
A total of 540 megalitres has been discharged in the past 18 months and the practice is set to continue for months, if not years.
The project involves restoring a tunnel built between 1948 and 1954, used to transport sewage from a catchment of about 150,000 residents on Brisbane’s southside to the Luggage Point Resource Recovery Centre on the north, for processing. The project hit a complication in January 2024 when a pipe within the tunnel burst.
Now, during heavy rain, sewage and stormwater must be discharged into the river to prevent the entire system overloading. Nine News obtained the data from the Department of Environment, which issues permits for the releases.