East Coast Master Plan

Current

About the region

Tasmania’s East Coast region combines fertile agricultural valleys, natural areas, and fishing towns, with the region well known for iconic tourist destinations. There are many small towns along the coast which attract residents and holiday makers including Bicheno, Orford and St Helens.

Current services

The East Coast region has seven water and 11 sewerage systems as well as recycled water schemes to support the region’s residents, businesses and farms. In addition to the TasWater systems, Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service and some Councils own and operate several small sewerage schemes.

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Growth Areas

Population on the East Coast is expected to grow steadily over 50 years. About 9,200 lots could be developed if zoning permits, mainly near St Helens, Bicheno, Swansea, and Orford. Growth is uncertain; coastal towns and tourism projects could accelerate demand for TasWater services. TasWater will monitor trends and adjust its Master Plan as needed.

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Case Study: Subsea pipeline to improve water reliability

In a technically challenging project, TasWater has replaced the subsea pipeline that carries water between Triabunna and Orford after a series of failures. The pipeline, which was built across Spring Bay in 1950, had started leaking at pipe joints and was causing outages. Investigations showed that underwater anchors that held the pipeline in place had corroded, making it vulnerable to movement from tides and currents. As the pipeline sits on the seabed, it was also difficult to access and repair, often requiring professional divers to conduct works and leading to longer-than-usual water outages.

To fix this, TasWater installed a new 885m pipeline in 2025, complete with concrete anchors every 10m along the seabed. This upgrade is now helping protect the pipeline from movement and is ensuring a more reliable, long-term supply of quality water for the region.

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East Coast region key statistics

Forecast

The big issues

In developing our Master Plans, we have has considered challenges that our state will face in future, as well as ones that are unique to the East Coast region. We also thought about the flip side – what opportunities are there for us to better support local people, our environment, cultural heritage and the economy?

Lack of reliable water sources
High levels of stormwater getting into our sewer network
Inundation of coastal assets as the climate warms and sea levels rise
Infrastructure approaching capacity and ageing
High risk of nutrient discharges into the environment at multiple locations
High risk discharge from some sewage treatment plants
Opportunity to produce more recycled water

Challenges and opportunities

Climate change

Climate change in Tasmania is likely to bring warmer temperatures, rising sea levels, and more extreme weather, impacting water supply, quality, and demand. These changes threaten water treatment and sewerage infrastructure, potentially requiring new solutions and adaptations.
For our sewerage systems, like those in St Helens, Stieglitz, Orford, Dunalley and Nubeena, rising sea levels and more storms and floods put treatment plants and pump stations at risk of inundation.
Water security

Our drinking water comes from rivers and bores before treatment. Some rivers already have low flows, and licensed allocations don’t always meet demand. Drier conditions could worsen this, making unrestricted supply harder. To avoid restrictions, TasWater promotes conservation and follows its Water Security Strategy to ensure long-term supply.
Keeping up with growth

If population grows as expected, existing pipes, pumps, reservoirs, and treatment plants may lack capacity. Many assets are aging and need costly upgrades or replacement, prioritised by development timing, community benefit, and compliance. Some areas may require new water and sewerage connections to support growth, address climate impacts, or improve reliability. Service introductions follow policy, requiring community support and cost recovery.
Water where it belongs

About 23% of water produced in the East Coast region is lost due to leaks, theft, metering errors, or operational use. Efforts are underway to cut these losses and reduce stormwater infiltration into sewerage systems, aiming to delay costly upgrades and extend infrastructure lifespan.
Achieving compliance

TasWater must meet environmental and health standards, but ageing and underfunded infrastructure sometimes falls short. Progress is being made, especially with water quality, by installing UV treatment in East Coast region plants to boost community wellbeing.

Case Study: Upgrade protects and celebrates Orford’s environment

Orford’s sewerage system was originally built for a much smaller town, with all sewage pumped through a ‘daisy chain’ of pipes and pump stations to the Orford Sewage Treatment Plant. In recent years, the system has not coped well. In wet weather, stormwater has been getting into the system and overwhelming it, causing overflows into the environment. While some stormwater is from defects like cracked pipes, most of it appears to come from incorrect private property plumbing connections to the sewer. To help take pressure off the system, TasWater has redesigned it; splitting it in two so that flows can be better managed. Improvements have included a new pipeline along Walpole Street and Rheban Road to the treatment plant and five pump station upgrades. The pump stations now include underground emergency storage tanks to help contain stormwater in wet weather.

Construction was undertaken from 2024 to 2025 with the finished project now helping to reduce the frequency, volume and impact of sewage overflows on the Orford community and environment.
As a visible reminder of the project, Tasmanian artist Bec Adamczewski has transformed Our Park Sewage Pump Station’s switch room into a masterpiece celebrating the local landscape and animals.

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Future

After looking at a range of options to guide our long-term investment in water and sewerage infrastructure, our preferred approach balances climate resilience, water security, customer expectations, environmental and health compliance, and cost. Download the PDF for more details.

Our 50-year vision for the region

We believe our approach:
Tackles the most urgent issues right away.
Delays major spending until later, helping manage budgets and adapt to future changes.
Reduces the need for, and number of, complex projects like new dams, treatment plants and long pipelines.
Has a lower long-term cost (net present value) and development cost (capital cost) when compared with other options considered.