The existing sewer was first constructed in the 1960s, it is now reaching the end of its service life and requires restoration.

The sewer is located under the Yarra River between Westgate Park in Port Melbourne and Scienceworks in Spotswood. To restore the existing sewer, we are building a second sewer pipeline which will allow sewage flows to be diverted during works and also allow for future demand on the sewerage system. These critical works form part of a broader Melbourne Water sewer program on a number of ageing sewers around the city.

The current sewer is still functioning and there is no immediate environmental danger, however, these critical sewer works are necessary to protect our future and will provide a significant increase in system capacity to cater for Melbourne’s growing population.

This project is part of Melbourne Water’s commitment to protecting our bays and waterways from environmental harm and ensuring the reliability of our sewer network.

Since February 2022, the project team has established two construction sites at Scienceworks and Westgate Park.

Tunnelling works with tunnel boring machine, Lucey completed the 670 metre journey under the Yarra River in November 2023.

The new sewer tunnel is being tested in preparation for the sewage diversion to the second pipeline so that restoration works can commence on the original pipeline.