More than 200 households in Lower Plenty are now able to connect to the metropolitan sewerage system, following the completion of another instalment of Yarra Valley Water’s ongoing Community Sewerage Program.
The work at Lower Plenty commenced construction in October 2023 and has created an additional 9.15km of sewerage using methods that retain trees and the general landscape. Yarra Valley Water personnel along with its contractor, Melbourne Pipelines, have installed new sewerage connection points into every property along the pipe route over 15 months.
Yarra Valley Water General Manager Asset Services, Bridie Fennessy, said connecting Lower Plenty is another important step in the Community Sewerage Program, which is delivering ongoing environmental and community benefits.
“Yarra Valley Water is investing in bringing a modern sewerage network to the homes of thousands of Melburnians who have been relying on septic systems that are now ageing and no longer fit for purpose,” Ms Fennessy said.
Over the 2024–29 period, Yarra Valley Water is delivering a sewerage network that will enable around 3000 properties to connect to the main sewerage system, with an estimated investment value $120 million.
“We’re committed to a major program of works and expect all properties identified as not having a sustainable onsite system will be able to access the modern sewerage network by 2040,” Ms Fennessy said.
Melbourne Pipelines worked with Yarra Valley Water using horizontal directional drilling (HDD) – a non-intrusive pipe installation process that helped to reduce impact during construction.
Melbourne Pipelines Project Engineer, Alec Wood, said the project showed there are innovative ways to deliver significant infrastructure in well-established urban areas. “We were able to deliver this project without removing any trees and with minimal impact to the landscape of Lower Plenty, as well as the existing networks under the ground that carry electricity, gas, telecommunications and drinking water, using HDD. We have preserved the beautiful streetscapes of Lower Plenty while delivering much needed infrastructure,” Mr Wood said.
“The Lower Plenty Community Sewerage Project involved several locations where we needed to cross existing critical infrastructure, including major Melbourne Water transfer mains, critical transmission gas mains, electrical substation communications infrastructure, and transmission electrical infrastructure. Utilising HDD, as opposed to traditional methods, we were able to achieve these crossings safely, efficiently, and without impacting the supply networks that the existing infrastructure support,” he said.
Yarra Valley Water’s Community Sewerage Program has also enabled more than 700 property owners in Monbulk, Kallista and Eltham to connect since 2023.
Work is continuing across the Dandenong Ranges and Olinda, as Yarra Valley Water shifts focus to delivering services to several communities closer to metropolitan Melbourne. This includes new works starting later in 2025 in Park Orchards.
Yarra Valley Water is also working with the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, the Environment Protection Authority (Victoria) and local councils to promote the benefits of the new sewerage systems and increase customer connection rates.
Yarra Valley Water Community Sewerage Program Manager, Julie Bright, said the program is addressing longstanding issues and will provide major benefits to households and communities across Melbourne.
“Many homes in the outer northern and eastern suburbs of Melbourne were built before sewerage services were available and have relied on septic tank systems. These systems are ageing and many do not meet modern public health and environmental standards,” Ms Bright said.
“The Community Sewerage Program is all about providing these households and businesses with a modern, economical and environmentally friendly way of transporting and disposing of wastewater.”
Yarra Valley Water said the benefits of the Community Sewerage Program include:
- Improved local waterway health
- Reduced risk to public health
- No maintenance or upgrade costs
- No odours and boggy patches
- Greater flexibility for home improvement/extension
- Potential to improve property value
The Lower Plenty Community Sewerage Project has been undergoing final testing and commissioning throughout 2025, and Yarra Valley Water is also constructing a small booster pump station on Bonds Road which will enable properties downhill from the network to connect later in the year.
For more information about Yarra Valley Water’s Community Sewerage Program, visit www.yvw.com.au/ /connect-sewer
