DURING the 2024-25 financial year, one in five blockages to wastewater pipes was caused by tree root intrusion, according to Unitywater.

Field crews attended 3,043 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.

Residents can help prevent tree root blockages by pausing before they plant and considering the types of trees they’re planting.

“Tree roots will 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 (ORGs) 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.”

The message from Unitywater is that planning ahead could save lots of costly repairs in the future.

“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,” Mr Duncan said.

“We also have a planting guide – choose species carefully to avoid a root invasion in your pipes.”

Whilst 20 per cent of blockages were from tree roots, other items can also create issues.

“Other causes are fats, oils and greases and foreign objects, which indicate that the wrong items have been flushed or put down the sink.”

Learn more at www.unitywater.com/creatures.