Yarra Valley Water has completed a $34 million sewer upgrade in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, building nearly 10km of new sewer pipes to support the rapidly growing region.
The Doreen to Diamond Creek Sewerage Project, which took two years to complete, involved building new sewer pipes under parks, roads and supporting infrastructure, and installing a new high flow pump station.
Yarra Valley Water’s General Manager Growth Futures, Chris Brace, said the project, which ran around the busy Yan Yean and Ironbark roads, would service properties in the rapidly expanding Mernda and Doreen areas.
“It will ensure the reliability of the sewerage system and reduce the likelihood of sewage spilling into the environment during heavy rain,” Mr Brace said.
“We’ve worked with our delivery partners, MFJ Constructions and Jaydo, to deliver the project, which is among the top ten projects we’ve committed to complete for our customers.”
Mr Brace said special care had been taken throughout construction to save trees and avoid disrupting areas of cultural sensitivity, including a large stone tool artefact identified near the Plenty River.
This included the use of trenchless drilling technology to reduce excavation, protect more vegetation, and minimise disruption to the community.
“Design partner Jacobs also salvaged almost 400 artefacts at the start of construction and we worked in partnership with the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Corporation to sensitively repatriate them,” Mr Brace said.
“Our approach to this project is a great example of our commitment to care for customers, the community and environment while providing vital sewerage infrastructure where it’s needed.”
The team also adapted to COVID-19 restrictions to ensure the project was delivered on-time and under budget.
The project included resurfacing of Murray Road to reduce dust, as well as construction of a 2km shared-use path, to improve public access in the Plenty Gorge parklands.
