A sewer main that transfers wastewater from Jeffrey Street Sewer Pump Station (SPS) to the Kyneton Water Reclamation Plant in Kyneton, central Victoria, has burst, causing 1.3 million litres of stormwater and wastewater to spill into nearby vacant land.
The burst of the 250mm rising sewer main was noticed when Coliban Water staff identified low flows coming into the water reclamation plant.
A blockage occurred at one of the pumps within the SPS as a result of rags in the network, which in turn put additional pressure on the remaining pump and sewer main transferring to the plant.
This additional pressure caused the sewer main to burst. Due to the size of the sewer main, its spill volume was estimated at approximately 1.3ML. The spill flowed into nearby Post Office Creek.
Suction trucks were used to remove the overflow from the vacant land, however, wet weather in the area caused an issue with repairs and cleaning.
The repair to the sewer main was completed and normal operations returned within 12 hours of the first identification of the incident.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were notified and attended the site. Coliban Water undertook testing as part of their clean up processes and monitoring of the incident.
