24 January 2010
BOOST TO LOCAL WATER INFRASTRUCTURE AHEAD OF PIPE FLOWS
- Treatment plant in Yarra Ranges upgraded
- New pump station in Preston built
- System changes to reduce demand on Thomson and Upper Yarra Reservoirs
Parts of Melbourne’s water supply system have received an upgrade ahead of the Sugarloaf Pipeline starting to flow in February.
Manager of Water Supply, John Woodland, said the treatment plant attached to Sugarloaf Reservoir in the Yarra Ranges and pumps at a major water distribution hub in Preston would receive a substantial boost to their capacity. "Melbourne’s dams have just come through their worst decade on record and flows from the Sugarloaf Pipeline will provide a very important boost," said Mr Woodland.
"These additional flows will make Sugarloaf Reservoir an even more important part of Melbourne’s water supply network, and so the infrastructure that supports it is being upgraded."
Built in 1981, Sugarloaf Reservoir is Melbourne’s fourth biggest water storage and holds water from the Yarra and Maroondah catchments. All water from the reservoir passes through the nearby Winneke Treatment Plant to ensure it meets drinking quality standards before being piped to suburbs across Melbourne.
"The capacity of Winneke Treatment Plant has been boosted by about 25% to cater for increased flows into Sugarloaf Reservoir from the new pipeline," added Mr Woodland.
"Further down the line, a new pumping station has been built at our operations hub in Preston. The extra pressure from these pumps will effectively take water from Sugarloaf Reservoir to more parts of Melbourne, and that will reduce demand on Thomson and Upper Yarra Reservoirs.
"Ultimately these upgrades mean more flexibility in how we source and supply water to Melbourne, which we know is the key to dealing with climate uncertainty and population growth."
The cost of the Winneke and Preston upgrades - which are included in the total $750 million cost of the Sugarloaf Pipeline project - are $50 million and $20 million respectively. These projects are funded by Melbourne water users through retail water bills.
"The vast majority of Melbourne’s water is still moved by gravity, but the need for more pumping has focussed our efforts our sustainability goal of eliminating net greenhouse gases from our operations by 2018," said Mr Woodland.
"Last year we finished building six mini-hydros to generate energy from water moving around our system, and we’ve almost finished another hydro plant connected to the Sugarloaf Pipeline itself."
Mr Woodland said a range of stakeholders, including local councils and communities in the vicinity of the two upgrade sites, had been consulted closely throughout the works.
Media Contact: Andrew McGinnes - 03 9235 7277 M - 0403 930 846