Water authorities collaborate on sewer scheme

Two water authorities are working together to connect more than 370 properties to a new reticulated pressure sewer system, with the 200th in-ground pressure sewer pump unit having just been installed.

South East Water has teamed up with South Gippsland Water for the Poowong, Loch and Nyora Sewer Scheme, which will benefit properties across the three South Gippsland townships.

The project aims to tackle the growing public health and environmental problems caused by failing septic systems.

Under the partnership, South Gippsland Water is responsible for the overall funding, as well as defining the scope and project requirements, and managing community and customer engagement.

South East Water is responsible for network design and construction, and managing connections to the scheme.

Through the collaboration, South Gippsland Water is able to deliver a much needed piece of infrastructure to its customers ahead of time and at significantly less cost than a traditional gravity sewer network.

The sewer scheme involves the installation of a pressure sewer pump in a small storage tank at each house, which connect to a reticulated network.

Central to the design is a remote control telemetry system, called OneBox, which is designed and developed by South East Water.

OneBox manages property connections on a real time basis, regulating flows of waste into the network to optimise capacity.

Its ability to smooth peak flows means that pipes across the network can be much smaller, and aided by horizontal directional drilling, the need for expensive and large scale excavation is eliminated.

The number of pumping stations required to transport the wastewater to South East Water’s Lang Lang Recycling Plant is also reduced.

The Poowong, Loch and Nyora Sewer Scheme builds on a number of successful pressure sewer projects delivered by South East Water, including the Peninsula ECO, which aims to connect more than 16,500 properties when completed.

South Gippsland Water Managing Director, Philippe du Plessis, said, “South East Water is perfectly positioned to offer specialist services that support sewage solutions for regional communities.

“Leveraging off their pressure sewer expertise has allowed South Gippsland Water to deliver a sewage network on an accelerated construction timeline and at reduced cost”.

South East Water Managing Director, Kevin Hutchings said, “South East Water is pleased to partner with South Gippsland Water in delivering a significant and positive environmental outcome for the region.

“This innovative partnership demonstrates the importance of collaboration in tackling today’s infrastructure challenges, and the value that working together creates for our customers.”

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