Foul stench from sewer making life miserable for Utakarra residents (ABC)

ABC The sewer main adjacent to houses in Utakarra, Geraldton.

Angry residents in the Geraldton suburb of Utakarra say they are living in misery because of foul odours leaking from a sewer main just metres from their houses.

Residents of Clematis Crescent and surrounding streets said they have been putting up with the stench for years, despite several attempts by the Water Corporation to fix the problem.

When the ABC visited the area yesterday along with about 20 fed-up locals, the sickening smell of faeces was blown across the neighbourhood in waves, carried by a light breeze.

Bonamia Road resident Paul McConnon said the smell yesterday was milder.

"It's a disgrace as far as I'm concerned, it's like we're second-class citizens in a first-world country," he said.

"It's an absolute misery, an absolute misery, that's all you could say.

"It just never stops, it just niggles at you non-stop day after day.

"It just gets worse, some days it's really putrid, some days it just smells."

According to information contained in a letter by the Minister for Water, Mia Davies, to Geraldton MP Ian Blayney, the offending sewer handled about half of Geraldton's waste water before it being pumped out to a treatment plant at Narngulu.

Ms Davies said the Water Corporation acknowledged the sewer had an "unusually high concentration of odorous gases" which when mixed with water, could lead to the corrosion of the lids that sealed the sewer, allowing gases to escape.

Callistemon Court resident Stephen Doherty said those gasses penetrated many aspects of his life.

"A few times we've had barbeques and our visitors have asked 'what's that stench Steve?'," he said.

"It's not acceptable - it's putrid and it does get worse - this is a good day.

"Me and my missus and my family, we've worked our arses off to buy this house.

"If we want to sell and go back home to Sydney - if nothing's fixed - I'm not going to get 40 cents for it.

"Who would want to live with this?"

Odours may be affecting residents' health

Mr Doherty, who recently underwent a double liver transplant, said his doctors were concerned the odour may be affecting his health.

"I explained the situation to them and they said 'no, that's not right, you'd better come down and we'll run some tests on you," he said.

"I've got a weak immune system at the moment because I've had the transplant so I could pick up anything that's floating around.

"This isn't good for me."

In an effort to mitigate the problem, the Water Corporation cut a vent with a filter into the sewer access chamber in May 2013.

Further works were undertaken last month to replace the lids on the adjacent waste water pump station and on nine sewer access chambers.

When the leaking odours continued, an additional vent system was installed, but Mr McConnon said the work had not solved the problem.

Opposition water spokesman Dave Kelly described the stench as "incredible".

"I wouldn't want to live here, these residents shouldn't have to live here and I'm sure as hell the Water Minister wouldn't want to live here," he said.

"People are experiencing health effects such as headaches, they can't just enjoy the normal things that you do in a suburban house, have a barbecue out the back, invite people over.

"It's making their life a misery."

The Water Corporation would not disclose how much money had been spent trying to stop odours from leaking.

The utility is pinning its hopes on upgrading a pump station on the site, but a spokesperson said the expected completion date was June 2015.

Mr McConnon said he would not stop fighting until his neighbourhood is odour-free.

"We're not going to leave it alone, we have nothing to lose," he said.

"Our lives are destroyed, our homes are worthless. I'm not going to stop on this issue, no way."

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