What's this project all about?

Orford’s existing sewerage network was designed and built decades ago for a much smaller town. Nowadays, the network will often overflow as stormwater enters the sewerage system, much of it from private property. This project will reduce the frequency, volume and impact of those overflow events, and improve TasWater’s protection of the local community and environment.

Currently, all of Orford’s sewage is pumped through one ‘daisy chain’ to the Orford Sewage Treatment Plant, via a sewer main near West Shelly Road. Instead, the network will be split in two to reduce these loads. We will construct a new pressurised ‘rising’ main along Walpole Street and Rheban Road to the treatment plant. Five of Orford’s sewage pumping stations (SPS) will be upgraded with new underground emergency storage tanks and pumps. New rubber seals around wet wells will prevent odour, and electrical upgrades, new lighting and improved vehicle access will also mean our people can respond faster in emergencies.

Where are we working?

• The Hedge SPS on the foreshore walking track north of Millington’s Beach, by the Orford Bird Sanctuary
• The Prosser Bridge SPS on the north-east shore
• The Our Park SPS at the northern end of Walpole Street, including a new above-ground electrical switchroom
• The Wade Bridge SPS by Orford Rivulet
• The West Shelly SPS off West Shelly Road
• A new pipeline along Walpole Street and Rheban Road.

Construction

There will be construction activity throughout Orford during most of 2024, including excavation, truck movements, heavy equipment, many vehicles and workers. Most work will take place Monday to Friday and we are targeting times outside the peak summer and holiday periods, where possible.

While TasWater and our contractors make every effort to reduce our impact on the surrounding community, it is our hope that locals will understand there will be some short-term disruption to deliver a long-term benefit, and that some areas will look a little different once our work is complete.

Great care is being taken to preserve trees and TasWater has engaged professional arborists to assess each site, so we can design our infrastructure around existing trees wherever possible. The goal is to keep the most established specimens and species that provide wildlife habitat.

New vent stacks

We understand there can be concerns about odour from vent stacks, but properly designed, installed and maintained vent stacks actually prevent odour from affecting the community. Each SPS and the new rising main will need vent stacks to function properly. Their location is set by the local geology, the height of the infrastructure and our design requirements.

Some of Orford’s old vent stacks have not been effective, primarily because they are not tall enough. Our new vent stacks will be nine metres tall, releasing any odour well above head height. They are manufactured from superior materials to the old vent stacks, are more rust resistant and require less maintenance. Each will also have a new stainless steel ‘whirly bird’ fitted, to draw and disperse air from the system (an example of the new vent stacks can already be seen on Manning Drive on the path to the historic Prosser Bay quarry). Vent stacks constructed in this way are common infrastructure throughout Tasmania.

TasWater is confident that by venting the sewer at nine metres above ground, from new SPS with effective seals, we will provide a better odour management solution than anything currently in Orford.