Strand sewage pipe problem enters year four — council report describes situation as ‘fluid,’ which is not reassuring given the context
Strand — Dark Humour
A sewage infrastructure problem affecting a section of Marine Drive in Strand has entered its fourth year, with residents reporting that the odour, which was described in the original 2022 council complaint as “periodic and manageable,” has evolved into something they now characterise as “a permanent feature of living here, like the wind but worse.”
The council’s engineering department, responding to a written inquiry submitted by this paper in February and answered in May, confirmed that the situation remains “fluid” — a word choice that prompted a written follow-up from this paper and a response from a council communications officer who said the word had been used in its administrative rather than its literal sense and that she took the point.
A contractor was appointed in late 2023 to assess and repair the affected pipe. The contractor completed an initial site inspection, submitted a preliminary report describing the problem as “significant but addressable,” invoiced for the inspection and was subsequently de-appointed following what the council described as a “procurement irregularity” it was not in a position to detail further. A second tender process was launched in early 2024. It closed, was evaluated, was referred back for re-evaluation and has since produced a preferred bidder whose appointment is, the council confirms, “imminent.”
Residents near the affected section have adapted in the ways available to them. Several have planted lavender along their boundary walls. One has installed an outdoor fan angled away from the house. A retired nurse on the corner says she no longer notices it, which she acknowledges is not the same as it being fixed.
The council said it shared residents’ frustration and remained committed to resolving the matter. It did not provide a timeline. The word “imminent” was used once more, unprompted, at the end of the statement.
Be the first to comment