Sandgate residents are growing increasingly concerned about the amount of untreated sewage being released into Cabbage Tree Creek from the sewage treatment plant.
Local environmental campaigner Adam Bowden, who runs the Stop Raw Sewage into SEQ Waterways Facebook page, said recent numbers from Urban Utilities were worrying.
“After going through the individual Sandgate bypass records provided by Urban Utilities, the 32 recorded releases during the 2024-25 financial year total 713,178,660 litres of untreated sewage,” he said.
“Cabbage Tree Creek is not a wide body of water, and that’s a lot of raw sewage coming out of that one small channel. It’s quite horrendous and we need to do better.”
Adam added he had spoken to residents who believed they had experienced staph infections and conjunctivitis after coming into contact with the water.
“Obviously that’s not something I can prove scientifically, but anecdotally, I am hearing a lot of stories like that,” he said.
“I have emailed the Premier and the State Environment Minister, and I have asked them for a meeting. The list of questions I’ve asked is on the Facebook page, and I’ve let the Premier and the Minister know that their answers will be published on the page.
“It’s about transparency and it’s about them knowing that this is not just a letter from me, it’s really from thousands of people.”
Deagon Ward Councillor Jared Cassidy said the numbers being brought to light by Adam were concerning.
“It raises questions regarding Urban Utilities, and I feel personally that we’re not understanding the full breadth of the problem,” Cr Cassidy said.
“There is a possibility that in extreme weather, like the 2022 floods, the system gets overwhelmed. And they do have planned maintenance periods, during which time they are allowed to release untreated sewage, and they get that permission from the Department of the Environment.
Concerns Grow Over Sewage Infrastructure and Waterways
“But clearly that level of release can’t be just rain events and without Adam, this issue would not be as visible as it has been.”
Both Adam and Cr Cassidy agreed infrastructure upgrades should be a priority.
“Currently, letting untreated sewage into the waterway is not illegal,” Adam said.
“And that’s honestly just not good enough. We are going to see population growth in this area, and if the sewage treatment plant is already not coping with the population we have now, imagine how much worse it’s going to get.”
Cr Cassidy said the area cannot “have growth without growth in infrastructure”.
“(The treatment plant) was built for a certain population capacity a long time ago, and I would say it has probably surpassed that capacity,” he said.
“Properly treated sewage is one of the things that separates first and third world countries and people have an expectation that these services are being provided and that they’re done right.”
Read more stories from the Sandgate Guide print magazine here:
- Bramble Buzz: Updates from the Community
- Organic Gardening in October
- Fish of the Month: Fringefin Trevally
- Brisbane Writers Festival Returns With Big Stories
- 20 Minutes to Make a Difference: Join The Aussie Bird Count
- Bald Hills State School Celebrates 160 Year Milestone
- A Community that Grows Together
- Fifty Years of Kindy Fun
- Bulldogs On a Winning Streak
- A Thank You 14 Years in the Making
- Indonesian Food, Culture and a Brighter Future for Kids
- Deagon: “A Place of Beauty and A Joy Forever”
- Students Find Their Voice
- Mad Mob is Making it Matter
- Mulbeam Park Playground Upgrade
- Celebrating a Century of Seale
- Start Your Day With Qigong By The Bay
- Artists Open Their Doors Along Sandgate’s Creative Trail
- A Poem on Common Complications: My Laptop
