Echuca water supply strengthened with raw water pumps upgrade

Two raw water pumps have been upgraded by Coliban Water to service its Echuca Water Treatment Plant.

Manager of Infrastructure, Core Bourne, said the $220,000 upgrade will provide additional security of supply for customers in Echuca.

“The two raw water pumps and motors have been completely refurbished,” Mr Bourne said. 

“We have also installed an automated vacuum priming system for restarting the pumps.

“The two pumps were originally installed in the 1960s. They pump water from the Murray River to our Echuca Water Treatment Plan and are located in an 8m deep well. 

“The pumps were refurbished one at a time and the work had to be carried out during winter and early spring when there is a lower demand for water. 

“We installed a backup pump in case there was a failure while we were operating with one pump. 

“There was an incident in January 2020 when a valve didn’t close properly and caused water to drain from the pumps which cut off supply to the plant.

“It happened during an extended period of extreme hot weather when there was high demand for water which had reduced the volume in our clear water storages.

“The refurbished pumps are capable of pumping 300 litres a second and will provide greater security of supply in the event of an incident.”

Coliban Water is investing more than $15 million on water and wastewater upgrades in the Echuca region over the next four years.

“The funding includes a $9 million upgrade to the Echuca Water Treatment Plant to improve capacity, storage and disinfection, and meet the town’s growing demands,” Mr Bourne said.

“We are constructing two additional 3.3 megalitre treated water storage tanks at the plant, when combined this volume is equivalent to 2.6 olympic-size swimming pools.

“We are also building two new storage tanks for our $3.7 million Echuca West Tanks project to provide for the significant growth in the area.

“Our investment reflects the significant growth in the region and aligns with our Strategy 2030 strategic directions for prosperous economies and regional liveability.

“Climate change adaptation is a fundamental focus of our Strategy 2030 and our investment will deliver a more resilient water service during extended hot weather periods.”

The Echuca works include odour mitigation systems at the sewer pump stations in Anstruther Street and Mount Terrick Road, and a number of smaller projects including maintenance works on the Echuca Water Tower on High Street.

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