Water and sewerage

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Stormwater can cause traffic chaos

Impact of floods on the sewerage system

Melbourne’s sewerage system is designed to accommodate storm water that enters the sewerage system during wet weather.

However it would be really expensive to have a sewerage system that could completely contain extreme storm events, such as those experienced across Melbourne in February and April 2011.


Like most systems around the world, our sewerage system has inbuilt features that cater for extreme events and the influx of storm water to minimise the impact on customers. The most critical of these are ‘Emergency Relief Structures’ that help relieve the pressure on the system.  They do this by allowing controlled spilling at points in the system where the local environment can cope with the additional flow and preventing spilling at lower points in the system which would usually be on a customer’s property.


Typically the water spilt to the environment from these structures during extreme events is highly diluted, although we always recommend the community refrains from contact with this water as a safety precaution.
 

Reusing stormwater and cleaning up our creeks

Yarra Valley Water and Moreland City Council are planning an innovative project to harvest and reuse stormwater from two existing stormwater drains in Coburg. The stormwater will be treated to a standard suitable for flushing toilets, watering gardens and washing clothes, and will be available in homes and offices in the Pentridge precinct redevelopment. It will also be used to irrigate public gardens and sportsgrounds in the area.


Capturing and recycling the stormwater will:

  • reduce the amount of drinking water used by 30%
  • improve the condition of local waterways by reducing pollution and litter entering the Merri Creek.


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