12 May 2011
River Health Alert due to Heavy Rain
ADVICE CURRENT AS AT 8.00pm
Melbourne Water wishes to advise of sewage releases from parts of its system in the past few hours, due to intense rainfall.
The releases occurred into the following waterway:
- Merri Creek at Coburg
EPA Victoria has been notified of these releases.
Melbourne Water recommends avoiding direct contact with this waterway (at and downstream of Coburg) for at least the next 48 hours.
Automated releases of heavily diluted sewage are caused by large amounts of stormwater flowing into the sewerage system, and are a necessary ‘failsafe’ to reduce pressure and prevent sewage ‘backing up’ through household drains.
Water quality in all suburban rivers and creeks is usually poorer after rain, because of the pollutants washed off roads and streets and into rivers. Direct contact with urban waterways is therefore not recommended after heavy rain, regardless of sewage spills.
A $650 million upgrade of the Northern Sewer is currently underway to increase the capacity of this part of our network to cope with heavy flows. This project is due for completion in late-2011 by Melbourne Water and Yarra Valley Water.
More information on Melbourne’s drainage network is available here.
Media Contact: Andrew McGinnes (03) 9235 7277; 0403 930 846