South East Water has completed a $4 million water main upgrade along Chapel Street. The upgrade will continue to support the bustling South Yarra community.
Partnering with Interflow, South East Water worked to upgrade the ageing water mains along the street between Toorak Road and Alexandra Ave. The existing mains on both sides of Chapel Street, South Yarra, date back to the early 1920s. They were rapidly approaching the end of their lifespan.
South East Water General Manager Liveable Water Solutions, Charlie Littlefair, said the upgrade would support a more thriving, liveable South Yarra community.
“Customers and businesses can expect more safe and reliable water services, now and into the future,” Mr Littlefair said.
“Getting the basics right also means we’ve optimised our operations with reduced ongoing maintenance and repair costs.”
Interflow Project Manager Reece Paulzen said that early community engagement and adopting new technology were vital to the successful delivery of the project in busy South Yarra.
“We utilised ultra-high pressure water jetting to remove existing cement lining to facilitate pipe slip lining. The project team adopted horizontal directional drilling at locations where tram pole crossings were required,” Paulzen said. “We overcame these challenges to safely deliver a valuable water asset for South East Water and the community. It came about through innovation, planning and collaboration between South East Water, Interflow and key stakeholders.”
“We thank local residents and businesses for their patience throughout this project,” added Littlefair.
The water main renewal project started in June 2022 with extensive community engagement with local traders along the busy thoroughfare. This stakeholder engagement included a pop-up shop.
Construction was completed in June 2023 without disrupting domestic water supply or sewage services. Disruption to local traders and the public was minimised through staged works using noise barriers, and there was no impact to Yarra Trams services.
The Chapel Street water main renewal was part of South East Water’s $180 million per year infrastructure upgrade program to deliver reliable water and sewage services to its customers and community.
For more information on renewals and upgrades, visit: www.southeastwater.com.au/residential/upgrades-and-projects/
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