Unitywater has revealed tree root intrusion as the biggest culprit for wastewater pipe blockages, with one in five blockages caused by tree roots in the 2024–25 financial year.
Field crews attended 3043 blockages in the 12-month period across Moreton Bay, the Sunshine Coast and Noosa, with tree roots accounting for 614 of them.
Unitywater Executive Manager Customer Delivery, Rhett Duncan, said tree root blockages were a significant challenge in the wastewater network.
“Our data tells us Buderim, Clontarf and Caboolture are the suburbs with the most tree root blockages,” Mr Duncan said.
“We can see that 20 per cent of known blockage causes are tree roots. Other causes are fats, oils and greases and foreign objects, which indicates that the wrong items have been flushed or put down the sink,” he said.
“Tree roots seek out water and penetrate pipes, continuing to grow and causing major issues like blockages and wastewater overflows.
“These overflows can occur on private properties through overflow relief gullies and inside people’s homes through toilets and shower drains.
“They cause a smelly mess and an unpleasant clean-up, as well as potentially expensive repair costs.”
Mr Duncan said residents could help prevent tree root blockages by pausing before they plant and considering the types of trees they’re planting.
“If you have any landscaping plans over summer, check out Unitywater’s free online mapping tool to check for any Unitywater infrastructure on your property. It’s good to know where your private pipes run on your property too,” he said.
“We also have a planting guide – choose species carefully to avoid a root invasion in your pipes.”
