RESIDENTS of The Vines are raising alarm bells over a persistent and “disgusting” sewage drain odour that impacted local quality of life last week.

Despite an initial investigation from Water Corporation on Thursday, residents have emphatically stated the sewage odour, impacting areas near Millhouse Road and Chateau Place, persists.

Swan Hills MLA Michelle Maynard assured residents in the area the smell was actively being investigated.

“My office has been contacted by several residents in The Vines and surrounds about a terrible odour,” she said.

“Our office has been liaising with Water Corporation who investigated.

“I wasn’t provided an explanation from Water Corp… we are asking the community to report the smell so it is found and fixed.

“Report to 13 13 75 with location details… the more people who report, the better.”

Residents describe the continuing odour as a strong, immediate sewage drain smell.

Under a post discussing the smell on Facebook, Ellenbrook resident Karisse Purdy wrote that the smell makes you struggle to breathe even driving past.

“(The smell) is absolutely disgusting… even driving by  I make sure my aircon is circulating within the car and you can still smell it," she said.

Vines resident Anthony Eli also commented on the post asking for an official investigation into the origins of the odour.

“It’s like a strong sewage drain odour that hits you as soon as you drive through. The poor residents (nearby) are really copping it… it’s unbearable,” he said.

“This really needs a proper investigation… it’s unfair for residents to have to live with this ongoing stench.”

As reported in Water Corp project supports housing development in the eastern suburbs, Water Corporation has been extensively upgrading the waste water piping from Henley Brook up to The Vines.

The $73 million upgrade have developed a 14.2km wastewater pipeline between Ellenbrook and Wangara, as well as major upgrades to pumping stations in the area.

The upgrades were designed to safely convey wastewater for treatment and supporting housing developments in the City of Swan’s northern urban corridor.

A Water Corporation spokesperson acknowledged the odour and have assured residents they will fix the problem as soon as possible.

“We are aware of the temporary odour issue on the corner of Millhouse Road and would like to sincerely apologise to the community,” they said.

“Our thorough investigation confirmed that the pump station is structurally intact but some odour is being vented periodically under certain network conditions.

“As a priority, we are taking proactive measures within the local sewer network to resolve the issue.

“This includes starting work to upgrade existing odour filters and installing monitoring devices to continuously measure odour levels at the pump station.

“As with any sewer network dealing with thousands of litres of wastewater an hour, odour can sometimes escape.

“We encourage any issues to be reported to our 24/7 fault line on 13 13 75, so we can investigate.

“We thank the community for their patience and understanding while we work to address the matter.”