Investigations of ground conditions will soon begin in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton North as the first step of an important project to renew the Carlton Main Sewer.
The sewer, which is more than 100 years old and is coming to the end of its useful life, services households and businesses in Carlton, Carlton North, Brunswick and Coburg.
Investigation work will take place in Pigdon, Amess, Richardson and Station streets in Carlton North, and Scotchmer Street in North Fitzroy and include drilling, surveying, locating in-ground services and sewer inspections along the existing sewer.
Construction is expected to begin in late 2014 and will involve:
Rehabilitating 1.35 kilometres of the sewer between Pigdon Street and Princes Street in Carlton North.
A new connecting sewer pipe along Pigdon and Scotchmer streets between Amess Street in Carlton North and Rae Street in Fitzroy North.
Program Director, Mike Filby, said the sewer was built around 1900 and needed to be renewed to continue to meet the demands of Melbourne’s inner north and minimise the risk of failure.
“Renewing the sewer will reduce the likelihood of serious failures to the system, which would be costly, cause disruptions and potential health issues for local residents,” Mr Filby said.
“By taking steps to renew it now, we can reduce that risk and ensure the Carlton Main Sewer continues to meet demand for residents in Melbourne’s inner north.
“This project is still in the early stages of design so these initial investigation works are vitally important to ensure we get the final design right and cause minimal disruption throughout the project,” he added.
The Carlton Main Sewer is part of Melbourne’s comprehensive sewerage network which allows sewage to be transferred underneath the city to the Western Treatment Plant in Werribee.
Visit the Carlton main sewer improvement project page on the Melbourne Water website for more information.
