Coliban Water and its site operators, Veolia, have completed significant restoration works to the Specimen Hill water storage, which will help support water security in the region for another 30 years.
Located in the city’s west, and supplied by the Bendigo Water Treatment Plant, the Specimen Hill storage delivers water to approximately 22,000 properties and is larger than 16 Olympic-size swimming pools.
Coliban Water General Manager Operations, Julian Bull, said the renewal of the 42ML basin was critical to maintaining Bendigo’s water security.
“The Specimen Hill storage delivers water to major customers including Bendigo Health and Bendigo’s central business district.
“With ageing assets, the challenges of climate change and a growing population, it’s important that we monitor these key assets closely and carry out regular maintenance and proactive renewals.
“The storage has a base liner and a floating cover, which we regularly inspect. When signs of deterioration were found, we enacted our liner renewal plan for the site.
“The new liner is designed to last for 30 years, supporting decades of water security for customers in Bendigo,” Mr Bull said.
Material for the 14,692m2 replacement liner was shipped from an international supplier before being fabricated in Adelaide.
“We used learnings from the successful renewal of the Sandhurst storage liner in 2023 as a blueprint for this project, knowing that thorough planning was key to keeping water flowing to our customers,” Mr Bull said.
“Working closely with Veolia, we aimed to limit impacts to our customers and to predict and manage any risks.
“We carried out the works during the winter months when demand for water is low. This allowed us to take the storage offline without straining the system or impacting water supply to customers – something that would not be achievable during the peak summer period.”
The organisations worked together to establish a bypass system, to keep water moving through the network to homes and businesses, while the basin was drained for repairs. A pressure relief valve was also fitted, to be used if water pressure rose too high.
“We also had plans for alternative water supplies in case of a major outage. We increased water volumes in the Bendigo treatment plant in case it was needed,” Mr Bull said.
During regular inspections, signs of deterioration were also spotted at the edge of the storage embankment, which added to the project’s complexity.
“The earthen bank at the northern end of the storage was showing signs of ageing, so renewal works at the site included the repair on this part of the earthen embankment, in addition to the liner,” Mr Bull said.
Mr Bull said Coliban Water was proud to work with Veolia on this successful project.
“Replacing the liner without impacting customers has been a real achievement and has strengthened our partnership. Our core purpose is to provide our customers with safe and reliable drinking water, and with these renewal works, we can continue to deliver that,” he said.
For more information on water security in the Coliban Water region, visit coliban.com.au/about-us/water-security
Featured image: FiledIMAGE/shutterstock.com
