The 7-kilometre pipeline we are constructing to connect Richmond and North Richmond plants will be constructed in stages over the next 12 to 16 months.
Stage 1 North Richmond
We started construction in mid August 2024 and expect the work to be completed by early 2025. Our program of work includes:
- vegetation and weed clearing and pruning
- installing a new sewer pipeline connection
- installing new wastewater assets, including emergency relief structures, sewer rising mains and replacing maintenance hole covers.
We will use construction methods to install these new assets, including:
- Open trenching – Digging a trench (typically in the road reserve or adjacent to the road kerb) in 3-metre lengths to lay the pipe before restoring the area.
- Micro-tunnelling – A trenchless technique that uses a remotely controlled boring machine to excavate a tunnel and concurrently install pipes.
- Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) – Used to create an underground passage for the pipelines. This is a surface-to-surface drilling method using a drilling rig and a ground underbore machine.
This is a description of the assets we are installing:
- Amplification mains – Where a larger main size is required to serve a community because the existing main size doesn't meet the minimum required under the regulation codes.
- Emergency relief structures (ERS) – Used to help prevent wastewater overflows from being released through maintenance holes or private plumbing.
- Sewer rising mains – These sewers are pressurised by pumping. Rising mains are usually of the same pipe materials and laid at similar depths to water mains, although the internal pressure is often lower than that in many water mains.
We will notify local residents 7 days before our work starts on-site, and we will have traffic management on-site throughout our work to make sure the community and our project team are safe.
