All homes in the Eltham South Sewerage Project will now be connected to the sewer network to prevent environmental contamination from ageing septics.
It comes after Council’s continued advocacy with Yarra Valley Water to maximise its planned roll out of sewer connections in Eltham South which Council had said was inadequate.
Mayor Karen Egan said she was pleased to have worked with local ward Councillor Peter Clarke to get this result through a strong advocacy campaign.
“I thank Yarra Valley Water for listening to Council and our community and increasing its planned roll out from 166 to 275 homes within the Eltham Community Sewerage Program,” Cr Egan said.
“It is not only a win for Eltham South residents, but also a win for the local Eltham South environment, as in the very near future it will remove the pollution impacts caused by wastewater discharges from old and failing septic systems within the area.
“This will ensure sewerage is not leaching into the environment and of great concern protect the Yarra River.”
The roll out will mean all properties within the program area can connect to sewer either via a pressure sewer unit or a gravity connection branch.
The program provides a sewer connection to the property boundary, and land owners would then be required to carry out works within the property to connect into the sewer.
Yarra Valley Water’s planning for the Eltham South Sewerage Project began in 2017, with an initial design presented to the community at an information session in 2017. The initial design involved providing a sewerage network service to about half the properties it has now agreed to.
Wingrove Ward Councillor Peter Clarke said this was a big step forward for the many residents who had been concerned with the aging septic tanks in the area and had a lifetime without access to Melbourne’s sewerage system.
“This is an example of Council working relentlessly on an issue and advocating strong outcomes for the community,” Cr Clarke said.
“We will continue our efforts towards our goal of having access to the sewerage network for all residents.
Completion of the project is anticipated to be late 2020.
