Critical water main repairs complete

A major water main critical to servicing residents across the Shoalhaven is back in operation after a 90-metre section of the pipe was replaced earlier this month.  

Shoalhaven Water staff spent six weeks removing and replacing the 750-millimetre raw water trunk main at Meadow Creek, Burrier. 

“This is a major piece of infrastructure that will allow us to pump up to 1000 litres of water per second from the Shoalhaven River to Bamarang Dam before treatment. Water from our Bamarang treatment plant is then pumped as far as Lake Tabourie in the south and Berry in the north,” said Shoalhaven Water’s Executive Manager, Robert Horner. 

“This project has been investigated, surveyed, designed, project-managed and constructed by Shoalhaven Water staff and I’m incredibly proud of their achievement in meeting the tight deadline for the replacement,” he said.   

The main carries water from the 30-metre-deep Burrier Pumping Station on the Shoalhaven River to Bamarang Dam for storage before it can be used throughout the Shoalhaven. 

An internal inspection of the pipe this year, using closed-circuit television (CCTV), identified it as having a high risk of failure following a number of minor leaks in recent years.  

The excavated area is due to be backfilled this week, and the project is forecast to cost $800,000 upon its completion.  

In 2020, Shoalhaven Water, as part of our asset management planning investigated a list of water and sewer mains that were at risk of breaking or reaching the end of their lifespan. The identified mains were prioritised based on their criticality, age, class, size, breakage history, and location. 

For more information visit the Shoalhaven Water website or watch the work in progress here.