The Hawthorn Main Sewer transfers sewage from the city’s east to the Western Treatment Plant in Werribee and has been in service for more than a century.
Now reaching the end of its service life, the brick sewer will be replaced with two glass reinforced plastic pipes, with the project team to construct a shaft on each side of the Yarra and tunnel underneath the river.
Stage one of the upgrade was the now-completed relining of a 1.7 km stretch from Power Street in Hawthorn to Burnley Street in Richmond.
Melbourne Water General Manager of Program Delivery Eamonn Kelly said it was crucial the asset continued to function properly.
“It will provide the community with a world class, secure and reliable sewerage service for the next 100 years,” he said.
“The Hawthorn Main Sewer has always been an integral part of Melbourne’s critical infrastructure and to this day is one of the principal sewers in Melbourne Water’s 400 km network.”
The project is targeted for completion in early 2023.
For more information visit the Melbourne Water website.