The system, located near Healesville, provides about 200 million litres of clean drinking water to Melbourne every day. Some parts of it were built in the 1890s and 1920s, and are now becoming too old to continue being used.

Replacing it with modern infrastructure means we can continue supplying safe water to homes and businesses for generations to come.

What we’re doing

The project involves constructing a 4km pipeline and new outlet tower at the reservoir. The aqueduct (comprising open sections of aqueduct, tunnels and pipes) will be decommissioned. The existing outlet tower will no longer function as a water supply asset, and will be remediated to preserve the heritage listed structure.

An aqueduct is an open channel that is used to transfer water.

The Maroondah Aqueduct was built in 1891 to move water from the Watts River and Graceburn Weir to Preston. It was expanded in the 1920s to carry more water, and since the 1980s has helped transfer water from Maroondah Reservoir to Sugarloaf Reservoir through the Yering Gorge Pump Station.

We’ve created a long-term plan to replace the aqueduct with a new pipeline that increases the reliability and amount of water we can safely transfer, while improving water quality.

An outlet tower is a structure that controls how water flows out of a dam or reservoir.

The Maroondah Outlet Tower, built in the 1920s, is nearing the end of its life. Assessments have shown that the tower is in poor condition and will need to be replaced in order to ensure reliable water transfer to Sugarloaf Reservoir, Yarra Glen and nearby communities.

The new tower will be built some distance away from the existing tower, near the southern abutment of Maroondah Dam. A new 1.7m diameter pipeline will be constructed from the outlet tower, connecting back into the water transfer system 4km downstream.

Together, these upgrades will:

  • increase the reliability and amount of water we can safely transfer
  • improve water quality
  • extend the life of the Maroondah Reservoir Transfer System.

This project is currently in the design phase. Construction is planned for mid-2029, and will take approximately 2 years to complete.

  • Upcoming site investigations

    Over the coming months you may see increased activity in Maroondah Reservoir Park while we carry out site investigations.

    Learn more 

Managing community impacts

We’re working with Yarra Ranges Council and other organisations to help reduce disruptions to the community as much as possible.

We’re committed to keeping you informed as the project progresses, and will continue to share updates and provide opportunities for feedback.

More information

Do you have a question about the project? Submit your enquiry using the form below and a member of the team will reply to you shortly.