General News
7 February, 2025
Century old pipes to be replaced
Century-old history has brought new attention as water renewal works began along Gillies Street on Monday.
Central Highlands Water (CHW) have commenced work along Gillies Street, between Layton and Majorca roads, on a water main that was built in 1923 just five years after World War One.
Stage one will replace 350 metres of pipeline while stage two, whose completion date isn’t confirmed, will bring the entire project to 600 metres of pipeline replaced with a 200 mm diameter water main.
According to the Central Goldfields Shire’s weekly update, published last Friday, the completion date for the works is expected in late April.
A CHW spokesperson said that affected homes in stage one, approximately 15 properties facing Gillies St and the School House Retirement Village, won’t experience any disruptions.
“Our delivery partner Interflow will install temporary supply mains and connect temporary services to all property meters for the duration of the project, ensuring no disruption to customer’s water supply,” they said.
The works will take place between 7 am and 7 pm on weekdays, unless work outside these hours is required for safety or technical reasons.
According to the CHW spokesperson, renewal work timing is dependent on the length of pipe and the complexity of the replacement.
“When works commence, a large amount of time is spent on locating and identifying other authorities’ assets, for example power and NBN services,” they said.
“Ground conditions, connecting to a temporary water supply, replacing the main and restoring the area are all aspects CHW manages throughout the course of the works.”
Furthermore, once works are completed but before homes are transferred back to the new water main, CHW are required to do water quality compliance testing to the standards set by the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, the Safe Drinking Water Act 2003 and the Safe Drinking Water Regulations 2015.
“We thank all customers for their understanding and patience as we continue to deliver safe and reliable water to the community,” the CHW spokesperson said.