This month we completed construction of the Eltham South project. Approximately 300 property owners in the area have been notified they can now connect to the new sewerage system. 

• Connection information for pressure sewer systems

• Connection information for gravity sewer systems

Not sure which applies to your property? Call our team on 9872 2551.

Our works are progressing well and 124 properties in the western part of the project area have been notified they can now connect to the new sewerage system. The remainder of properties will be notified directly when they can connect in the coming months. 

Reinstatement of work areas

As we finish construction work over the coming months, we're deliberately waiting until spring to restore work areas, so things might look a bit untidy for the next few months. We've put up signs so you know which areas we're coming back to.

Why aren’t we restoring areas now?

An exceptionally wet winter means the ground is very soft, saturated and muddy.

If we try to move vehicles and equipment in these conditions, we will make more mess rather than cleaning it up.

In the short-term, we’ll remove piles of dirt and make sure drains are clear, but will wait before we smooth things out, apply topsoil and regenerative seed.

What do you need to do?

There’s nothing you need to do – we’re aware of the areas that need attention and will be back.

Thank you 

Thanks for understanding and putting up with some untidy areas for a little bit longer, we appreciate your patience. 
 

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It was great to meet those those who came to Lower Eltham Park to ask questions about our new sewerage system last week. Unfortunately, government restrictions meant our second session was cancelled. 

You can reach out to our Community Sewerage Program team with your questions at any time on [email protected] or 9872 2551.

Our delivery partner, Comdain, started work in late May and is focussing their efforts on the western area of the project.

Although our projects are unrelated, we’re working with Major Roads Projects Victoria and their contractors to complete works ahead of theirs and to minimise re-work by either party.

Our crews are currently installing sewer pipes in:

• Homestead Road
• Jayson Avenue
• Fitzsimons Lane, and
• Lavender Park Road.

A new manhole has been constructed at the bottom of Hohnes Road.

Our crews will be working progressively from west to east over the next two years. Once sewerage is available, we’ll contact you directly to let you know.

In the coming weeks we’ll be holding a couple of informal ‘pop-ups’ at Lower Eltham park so local residents and customers can ask us questions in person.  More information will follow soon.

From April, our delivery partner will begin construction in the west, near Fitzsimons Lane. We’ll then work progressively towards the east of the community sewerage area over approximately two years.

We’ve scheduled works to avoid cross-over and disruption with the planned road works in this area.

We have listened to the feedback of your community and developed a revised servicing approach for your community that will include providing a sewerage connection for all properties that are within our investigation area.

We will be progressing the project by undertaking additional investigations as required to help complete the design of the sewerage network.

We apologise that we are not able to meet the timeframes communicated to you previously. We are unable to provide you with a specific date for completion of the project as it is dependent on obtaining approvals and availability of contractors. At this stage, we anticipate that we will complete the project in the next 1 to 3 years.

In the meantime, we encourage you to continue to maintain your existing wastewater treatment system (WTS) as you currently do until the sewerage system is available for connection.

In September 2017 we presented the initial design of the sewerage network for the Eltham South area at a community information session. This design involved providing a sewerage network service to approximately half the properties that were referred to Yarra Valley Water by your local council. We had determined that the remaining properties could contain their wastewater on site and so were not going to be provided with a sewerage service.

Because of concerns expressed by the community about this sewerage servicing strategy we decided to re-assess opportunities for a better overall outcome for the community in the longer term. This work has required further investigations which have had an impact on the project timeline. This work is ongoing, and we will get in touch with you once it is completed.

The project is now anticipated to be completed late 2020. Please bear in mind the timing is dependent on many factors, including obtaining planning permits and favourable ground conditions, and therefore could be subject to further delays.

We sincerely apologise for the delays and we will keep you updated as the project progresses.

We are designing the layout of where new sewer pipes should be built in the Eltham South area. We usually try to build our pipes under road verges and in parks or reserves, where we can easily access the pipes for future maintenance. This isn’t always possible, and sometimes we need to build our pipe under privately owned land, such as a residential backyard.

Our design consultant, Jacobs, has been investigating the local street layout, and they have a good understanding of where the hills and valleys are, and this will help them design the sewer layout. There’s a few more things they want to check, so they’ll be visiting the area over the next few weeks. During this time, you might see Jacobs representatives walking along the sides of roads, or in local parks and reserves.

Once the design is completed and we’ve got approvals, we’ll be ready to start building the sewer pipes in your area. Works are likely to start in September 2018, and should be completed in late 2019. It’ll then be time for properties to connect to the new sewer. That’s a while away though, and we’ll provide you with more information about connecting to the sewer soon.

Letters were sent this month, advising residents and property owners in Eltham South of the outcome of the Land Capability Assessment (LCA) for their property, and if their property is being serviced as part of the Community Sewerage Program.

We are also holding an information session about the project and the proposed sewerage servicing approach for the area. Details for the session are as follows:

Thursday, 21 September 2017
5:00pm to 7:30pm
Walter Withers Gallery
Eltham Community and Reception Centre
801 Main Road, Eltham

The session is an informal drop-in session, and attendance is not mandatory. There will be no formal presentation. Instead, information will be available about how Yarra Valley Water has determined which properties need to be serviced (i.e. which properties will connect to the new sewer pipeline).

Attendees will also have an opportunity to talk to the project team about the project, and have your questions answered.