By Lynda Myer
The century-old Hawthorn main sewer in Melbourne, which is beneath the Yarra River, will soon replace using the tunnel boring machine (TBM), newly named after Olympic rower Lucy Stephan.
Melbourne Water in partnership with John Holland-KBR Joint Venture are the contractors of the Hawthorn to Richmond sewer project, which is part of the Hawthorn main sewer upgrade.
Relining the existing sewer was a part of the first phase of the scheme, while the second phase comprises of replacing the sewer siphon that transfers sewage under the Yarra River.
A TBM, that excavates through the ground and progressively installs large concrete jacking pipes behind it, is advancing this process.
In order to enable sewage flows under low-lying areas or obstructions like rivers, where flow by gravity is difficult, these pipes will host the new sewer siphon, which is a wastewater pipe.
The project’s TBM has been named Lucy by pupils at Hawthorn West Primary School to celebrate Victorian rower Lucy Stephan’s achievements. She recently powered to gold at the Tokyo Olympics as part of Australia’s women’s fours rowing team.
September or October of this year is the estimated date of tunneling commencement and will pursue until January 2022. The determined date for completing the sewer replacement and usage is early 2023.
