Mega ‘fatberg’ pulled from Water Corporation plant – biggest ever in WA

• 30-tonne mass of non-flushable material removed from wastewater treatment plant
• Sewage waste mountain estimated to be biggest recorded in WA
• Reminder to the community to bin non-flushable products, fats, oils and grease

A mega ‘fatberg’, estimated to be the largest seen in WA, has been removed this week from Water Corporation’s Woodman Point Water Resource Recovery Facility in Munster, the biggest wastewater treatment plant in WA. 

Weighing an estimated 30 tonnes, the congealed, putrid mass of ‘rags’ – including non-flushable products like wet wipes, paper towel and sanitary items – was removed over two days by an excavator. 

Combined with fats, oils and grease to form so-called fatbergs, non-flushable material causes blockages in the sewer network and clogs wastewater pumps, which can result in wastewater overflows, posing a potential public health risk. 

In 2023, Water Corporation responded to 1,329 preventable wastewater blockages caused by fatbergs and non-flushable materials – up from 1,152 in 2022 and 918 in 2021. 

Water Corporation Head of Treatment and Resource Recovery Rino Trolio said: “This work was part of our ongoing preventative maintenance program across more than 100 wastewater treatment facilities, including at Woodman Point, hundreds of sewer pump stations and around 18,000km of wastewater main throughout the state.

“The issue is non-flushable material doesn’t disintegrate properly and gets matted with fats, oils and grease mistakenly put down the sink. None of this material should be in the sewer network. As a reminder, only the 3Ps – pee, poo and toilet paper – should go down the toilet.

“It’s a year-round, time-consuming and expensive job to unclog this waste material and keep the pipes flowing. It’s also an unpleasant task for our operators, as you can imagine, even more so on a hot day!”

In Australia and New Zealand, a new ‘flushability’ standard (AS/NZS 5328 Flushable Products) outlines the criteria for products that can be labelled as ‘flushable’ and safely flushed down the toilet, ensuring they disintegrate properly and don’t cause sewer blockages.

Rino Trolio continued: “Despite being labelled as such, not all products labelled as ‘flushable’ can be flushed down the loo. Most wet wipes, for example, don’t disintegrate like toilet paper. 

“Unfortunately, wastewater blockages are a reality faced by every water utility in the world but they are entirely preventable. We do our bit but also need the community to help us keep our sewer network flowing freely.”

In addition to its ongoing preventative maintenance program at wastewater treatment facilities and pump stations, Water Corporation spent more than $1 million last year unclogging blockages from its sewer network and expects this figure to increase this year – costs ultimately borne by taxpayers.