Faulty septic tanks at Toolern Vale and District Primary School will finally be replaced after years of complaints about the “awful stench” and countless promises that the issue would be rectified.
Student toilets at the school were last week blocked and the surrounding area cordoned off while the Education Department brought in portable toilets.
One school parent, Ben, who asked that his surname be withheld, told Star Weekly last Thursday the smell had become so bad in recent months that the only issue on everyone’s mind was the septic tank.
He said parents were under the impression the tanks would be replaced over the summer holidays, but funding for the replacement was pulled at the eleventh hour.
“I can say that pretty much every morning my wife goes to school and every morning parents are complaining about the septic smell – they say it stinks,” Ben said.
“We want the department to act. We were told the septic tank would be replaced over Christmas … this just makes you wonder what the department’s priority is if they haven’t been listening to us over these past few years.”
In an email sent to parents and seen by Star Weekly, the school attributed the closure of the toilets to a “major septic issue”. It said a “full sterilisation” of the toilet blocks and surrounding areas would be carried out over the coming days.
Ben said school council members had been in contact with the department several times to get the issue sorted and have the tanks replaced.
The department on Friday issued a statement saying the Victorian School Building Authority had been working closely with the school to fix the problem.
Department spokeswoman Lito Visolini said portable toilets had been brought on site until the school toilets could be reopened.
“The septic system has been repaired and work on replacing with a brand new system will begin [this] week. The toilet blocks have also been cleaned and tested by a hygienist.”
