Works required to clear sewerage system blockage

Barwon Water will next week clear a sewer blockage that has formed in central Geelong.

The daytime works will be carried out in multiple locations along Bellerine Street, as well as one site in Maud Street.

Access will be maintained for local residents and emergency services throughout the response effort, which will run from Tuesday 19 November to Thursday 21 November.

There will be no interruptions to water and sewerage services, but car parks will be closed in and near the work zone.

Affected businesses and residents have been informed and will be updated on the progress and any changes.

This project requires Barwon Water to return to the same area that required emergency works in April this year.

The sewer, located about 30 metres underground, has since been closely monitored and cleaned as required.

While the first complex incident took a fortnight to resolve, this minor build-up of material is expected to be cleared within three days.

Barwon Water General Manager Smart and Sustainable Infrastructure David Snadden thanked the community for its understanding and patience during the works.

“Sewage will be diverted from the blockage area, to ensure services continue as normal during this time.”

Mr Snadden encouraged the community to understand that items that are flushed or washed down the drain can negatively impact the sewerage system.

“Things like wet wipes, tissues, sanitary items, paper towel and rubbish can form together, causing blockages that can lead to sewage spills,” he said.

“These blockages and spills can affect our natural and built environments, while being expensive and time consuming to fix.”

Reactive sewer blockages cost Barwon Water about $600,000 per year, largely due to products like non-flushable wipes, sanitary items, food scraps, fats and oils clogging the system.

The non-flushable material that congeals to form a messy mass, leading to a blockage, is called a ‘fatberg’.

An artistic and interactive fatberg will be the star of Barwon Water’s special Geelong Design Week exhibition.

The 6.8-metre-long interactive fatberg, created by Norlane’s The Indirect Object, will be the centrepiece of a new family-friendly pop-up activity zone at Barwon Water’s central Geelong headquarters.

Dubbed the Pooseum of Modern (f)Art, the dynamic and interactive space will open on 21 November. More information on the Pooseum of Modern (f)Art can be found at www.barwonwater.vic.gov.au/community-and-education/museum-of-modern-fart