Sewer Spill - incident draft

Although Melbourne has world-class sewerage, sewage can still overflow sometimes.

This happens when sewer pipes are blocked or broken by tree roots, fats or oils – or when sewers are too full after heavy rain. 

There are 2 types of spills that can happen. The first is a spill that happens when equipment breaks down. Pipes can get blocked or break, mostly due to tree roots and excessive fats and oils in the system, or equipment at a pump station can fail.  Large scale equipment failure is rare and when spills happen as a result of blockages and bursts, they are a priority for water companies to deal with as soon as possible.

The second type of spill happens after periods of heavy rain. These types of spills are caused when extra rainwater gets into the sewerage pipes, either through infiltration or through improper plumbing connections. The sewage pipes, filled with extra rainwater, push our sewerage system to its limit and instead of backing up into people’s gardens or homes, the system is designed to overflow into local rivers or creeks - through Emergency Relief Structures.

 

What's happened?

At xxx a sewer spill occurred, causing xxxxx

 

Supporting our customers

As always, we encourage any of our customers experiencing hardship or financial difficulties to contact South East Water on 13 16 94 or Yarra Valley Water for support on 1300 853 811.

 

 

For language assistance

العربية	1300 914 361	Eλληνικά	1300 931 364
廣東話	1300 921 362	普通话	1300 927 363

For other language assistance, please call ezispeak.

мaкeдoнcки	03 9046 4173	Hrvatski	03 9046 4173
한국어	03 9046 4173	српски	03 9046 4173
فارسی	03 9046 4173	Türkçe	03 9046 4173
Italiano	03 9046 4173	Tiếng Việt	03 9046 4173

Customer complaints

We understand this is a worrying time for customers and some customers may not be satisfied with the level of communications we have provided in relation to this issue.

If you are not satisfied with our response:

• Call us on 13 27 62
• Email the Case Management Team
• Write to us: Yarra Valley Water, Attention: Case Management Team, Private Bag 1, Mitcham, Victoria, 3132

Our case managers will work with you to investigate and resolve your complaint efficiently and fairly. For information on language assistance and hearing and speech impaired services please contact us.