Yarra Valley Water has completed construction on Melbourne’s new Craigieburn Sewage Transfer Hub, a critical piece of infrastructure which will service up to 420,000 people in Melbourne’s north.
The $69 million project will service developments between Craigieburn and Wallan, allowing Yarra Valley Water to collect, store and transfer sewage to the metropolitan sewerage network for treatment.
The Hub comprises two 15 million litre glass-coated steel tanks which are both the size of six olympic-size swimming pools and are the largest tanks of their kind in the southern hemisphere.
More tanks with a total capacity of 210 million litres will be added as the population of the area continues to grow.
Yarra Valley Water Managing Director, Pat McCafferty, said the Hub is innovative because it can be expanded to keep up with growth in the region.
“The Hub is an adaptive piece of infrastructure which will expand with development in the area. It’s also a much more cost-effective solution than building a large sewer at twice the cost.
“Building flexible infrastructure which can grow with the community allows us to invest money where it’s needed most, while still ensuring we’re able to service the community for years to come,” Mr McCafferty said.
The enormous project provided 15,000 hours of employment and experience for apprentices, trainees and engineering cadets.
Melbourne’s northern growth corridor is one of the fastest growing areas in Australia and the Craigieburn Sewage Transfer Hub is just one example of the vital projects that Yarra Valley Water is undertaking in the region.
Mr McCafferty said that Yarra Valley Water is working hard to deliver the infrastructure that Melbourne’s northern growth corridor needs.
“It wasn’t long ago that there was virtually no existing water and sewerage infrastructure in Melbourne’s outer north. It’s staggering to think of how far the area has come and how much further it will go in the next few years.”
