Heavy Rain, Heavy Workloads….

Thanks to our Maintenance Team.

The heavy rainfall experienced in the Bass Coast and South Gippsland area put pressure on South Gippsland Water’s systems. Most affected are the Corporation’s wastewater systems. These systems are not designed for storm water (only black and grey water from toilets, showers, sinks and taps etc). Heavy rains, like that of last week, can impact wastewater systems when there is groundwater infiltration from cracked and broken pipes and illegal and faulty connections.

Rainwater from roofs, driveways and foot paths directed into the sewer, contributes to extremely high volumes of wastewater. Mon-Thurs last week saw over 100mm of rainfall in a number of towns and some sewer systems could not cope with the large influx of water.

South Gippsland Water experienced difficulties in Inverloch and Wonthaggi where some of the main sewer pump stations were inundated and could not cope with the volume of wastewater. As a result, a number of Overflow Relief Gullies (ORG’s) discharged. South Gippsland Water staff worked hard during this time to clean up backyard areas where Overflow Relief Gullies (ORG) had acted to direct sewer backlog outside of the property (instead of discharging inside the home).

Philippe Du Plessis, Managing Director, South Gippsland Water, would like to congratulate the Maintenance Teams in the Inverloch and Wonthaggi area for assisting customers and thank them for their tireless work and the many call out’s after hours experienced last week. The team worked day and night through tough conditions, with rain pelting down, to assist customers and alleviate problem areas.

South Gippsland Water has up-grade works planned for some of the affected sewer pump stations and has recently completed smoke testing of the Wonthaggi sewer system in order to identify illegal connections. Customers should ensure their storm water is directed to storm water drains and not illegally plumbed into the sewer system. Customers should also ensure that their Overflow Relief Gully (ORG) is in good working order and not covered or blocked off in any way (if it is blocked, the sewer may discharge inside your home via toilets and sinks).

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