Estate’s stinking problem Residents in call for council action over ‘dead body’ smell

A PUTRID stench reportedly plaguing an estate in a Townsville suburb has caused a stink with surrounding neighbours.

Residents of Carlyle Gardens Retirement Village in Condon have reported what smells like a “dead body” for the past few weeks.

Veteran Jeff Williams, 71, a resident of the village, said the council had failed to fix the “nauseating” problem, which he suspects may be a fault at the Bowhunters Rd sewerage substation close by.

“I woke up at three or four in the morning to this horrible smell and I was gagging,” he said.

“It smells like a dead body … we’ve been smelling it for weeks. I’m surprised council haven’t done something about it.”

A chicken farm is in the vicinity of the retirement village, but Mr Williams said while there had been odour issues in the past, the current smell was far worse.

“I disagree that the smell is that of a chicken farm. It’s been around for 10 to 11 years and I’ve smelt it; it’s unpleasant, but not quite dead-body unpleasant,” he said.

“This is different to chicken farm. I think the they cleaned haven’t years.

“It smelt like raw sewage, like that of a dead carcass. The advice I have from management is multiple people have also come forward.”

A Townsville City Council spokesman said no leakages had been found at the Bowhunters sewerage substation.

“Council has not received their smelt act up and I that smell for any complaints regarding sewage leaking from its Bowhunters sewerage substation, (but) council has received a complaint about odour coming from its wastewater treatment plant in Condon,” he said.

“Council implemented odour measurement and monitoring in the immediate area, however, this has found no discernible levels of odour.

“Council will now expand monitoring both at the treatment plant and other potential sources.”

It is understood a complaint about the smell emanating from the chicken farm has been made to the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Recycled sewage will be used to keep the grass green in major areas of the city, saving thousands of litres of Townsville’s drinking water.