Upgrade to major water asset complete

Gippsland Water has completed an upgrade on a key piece of water infrastructure servicing the Latrobe Valley.

The $4 million project involved a major upgrade to the Tyers River Conduit. The 30km conduit, which was built in the 1960s, supplies water to the Latrobe Valley from Moondarra Reservoir.

General Manager Customer and Community, Paul Clark, said that the work will extend the life of the conduit for decades to come.

“The conduit is a series of pipes, tunnels and pump stations that convey water to homes, businesses and industry.

“More than 100 million litres of water pass through the conduit each day.

“It’s absolutely essential to our customers in the Latrobe Valley that we keep the system in top condition and fully functional,” said Mr Clark.

Initial work involved replacing four intake valves in the tower at Moondarra Reservoir. Further work was then undertaken on the tunnels along the route, to reline aging concrete sections with new glass fibre reinforced plastic pipes.

“After being in continuous use since the 1960s, the 1.5m wide tunnels were showing signs of age. They were nearing the end of their useful life,” said Mr Clark.

“We temporarily diverted the water through alternative routes while the new lining was inserted and anchored in place.

“The work was completed successfully and the upgraded conduit is now carrying the full water flow,” Mr Clark said.

Gippsland Water’s Tyers River Conduit carries water from the Moondarra Reservoir for the townships of Morwell, Traralgon, Churchill, Yinnar, Tyers, Glengarry, Toongabbie, Cowwarr and Rosedale. It also supplies major industrial customers such as Australian Paper and the Loy Yang Power complex.