A notorious 'stink pipe' in Newcastle has been upgraded and an odour control unit installed.
Hunter Water has finished major works to the century-old Newcastle West 1 Wastewater Pump Station next to the Marketown shopping complex car park.
The revitalised site features improved fixtures so it requires less maintenance, better amenity for nearby residents, and supports future population growth.
The work was part of a $5 million upgrade, which the Newcastle Herald reported last year, and started in July.
The old vent stack was removed, new pipework and fencing was done, and concrete structures were restored.
An interim odour control unit was installed, and a larger, permanent odour control unit was commissioned and delivered.
Hunter Water managing director Darren Cleary said the upgrades would help protect the pump station and pipework from corrosion, and do good for the community.
The site is one of the biggest and oldest wastewater pump stations in the authority's area.
"For that reason, these upgrades were essential to improve liveability for nearby residents and the general public around Newcastle, as well as enabling the ongoing operation and maintenance of a critical asset," he said.
Minor work - like checks and testing - will continue next month but will be contained within the pump station boundary so will cause minimal impacts on traffic and parking.
The pump station was built in 1909 and services customers west of the Newcastle CBD, in Adamstown, Broadmeadow, Hamilton, Islington, Mayfield, New Lambton, Tighes Hill and Wickham.
It became known by some as a 'stink pipe', and residents had been pushing for change, telling the Herald in 2021 that the smell appalled them and forced them to keep their windows closed sometimes.
