After nearly two years of work was spent restoring one of the region’s most crucial pieces of water infrastructure, the Eppalock Pump Station is back online.
Jointly owned by Coliban Water and Central Highlands Water, the pump station is located just beyond Lake Eppalock’s dam wall and provides water security to customers in Bendigo and Ballarat.
Coliban Water Managing Director, Damian Wells, said the pump station was damaged in October 2022 when it was swamped by 2.7m of floodwater.
“While we carried out readiness work before the flood, removing equipment and disconnecting power, a condition assessment was completed after the floodwater subsided, and significant damage was identified to the pump station’s internal switchboards, pumps, and motors.
“As part of the Goldfields Superpipe Joint Venture, we worked closely with our partners and our operations and maintenance provider, Veolia, to restore the pump station to ensure it can better withstand the impacts of flood and extreme weather in the future.
“This improved flood resilience aligns with our broader recovery goal to ‘build back better’. The pump station is now easier to operate and safer for those working in and around the site,” Mr Wells said.
“To reach this point and see the works complete is fantastic news.”
Central Highlands Water Managing Director, Jeff Haydon, said $2.6 million had been invested in the restoration work.
“We’re very pleased to see the pump station up and running again. We have improved safety and day-to-day operations, and the restored pump station supports water security for customers in the Ballarat and Bendigo regions.
“When required, Central Highlands Water receives flows from the Eppalock Pump Station through to Ballarat via the 147km Goldfields Superpipe,” Mr Haydon said.
Veolia General Manager of Water in Victoria, Amanda Hazell, said the operations and maintenance team was pleased to support Coliban Water and Central Highlands Water with the project and contribute to improvements based on their long-term knowledge of the facility.
Mr Wells described the pump station as a complex and unique asset and said many replacement parts could not be purchased off the shelf.
“We ordered custom-made parts from as far away as Canada, including variable speed drives to run the pumps.
“Other work included replacing 14 large glass windows with strengthened polycarbonate panels, upgrading electrical assets in our high voltage switch room, plus a new roller door and upgrades to the mezzanine floor,” Mr Wells said.
The Eppalock Pump Station provides a backup water supply to Bendigo and Ballarat. While it was offline for repair, Coliban Water could supply water from Colbinabbin if necessary.
“While we restored the Eppalock Pump Station as quickly as possible, we continue to explore opportunities to relocate and protect key electrical and pump-related infrastructure to further improve our ability to navigate extreme weather,” Mr Wells said.
This was the case with the nearby Eppalock-Heathcote Pump Station, which has been raised to house electrical equipment above ground level.
Caption: Veolia staff Steven Hunter and Damien Molloy inside the restored Eppalock Pump Station. Image: Coliban Water
