Carol Edwards, a 78-year-old resident of a public housing terrace in Alexandria, Sydney, has faced repeated sewage floods in her home for years. On 6 June, she woke to find human excrement covering her entire downstairs floor, including her kitchen, dining area, and lounge. The sewage, which included faeces, urine, and toilet paper, had bubbled up from a drain in her laundry cupboard.
Edwards says the flooding has occurred more times than she can count over her 30 years in the property. Neighbour Nicole Beaver, who moved in last October, has witnessed nine or ten such incidents since then. The floods sometimes involve neighbours' sewage or grey water from their appliances. Edwards reports that plumbers clear the blockages each time, but the problem recurs.
The flooding has severely affected Edwards' quality of life. She has fallen and slipped in the mess, and has experienced panic attacks requiring ambulance calls. She avoids using her own toilet due to frequent backups, instead using a local pub, which has impacted her health and appetite. She says, 'After seeing shit on your floor, who wants to eat a meal?'
Homes NSW, the public housing manager, says it has records of three urgent repair requests since 1 July 2024, all in the last six weeks. However, Edwards and her children dispute this, claiming many more calls. Homes NSW states it responded immediately to each report, dispatching plumbers to clear blockages. A CCTV inspection identified tree roots and wet wipes as the cause.
Edwards believes the underlying issue is tree roots from large trees behind the terrace row, a problem she says has been flagged for 20 years. Despite Homes NSW clearing the pipes on 6 June, Edwards' property flooded again on 10 June. Homes NSW said it has now inspected the entire sewerage system and cleared the pipes with a root cutter and jet blaster.
