Greater Western Water's (GWW) water main cleaning program is now underway across Melbourne's west, forming part of the essential, often unseen work that helps keep the region's drinking water safe and reliable every day.
Across GWW's network lies a a vast system of pipes, valves and hydrants operating around the clock to deliver drinking water to homes and safely carry wastewater away. Much of this infrastructure goes unnoticed, yet is one of the most important systems supporting our community.
GWW Manager for Service Delivery, Jodie Hallam said GWW carries out yearly maintenance to help keep water tasting fresh and the system running smoothly.
"This year, we will be cleaning approximately 800 kilometres of water mains across Brimbank, Hobsons Bay, Melton City and Wyndham City council areas, with works progressing steadily since May," Ms Hallam said.
"To put it into perspective, 800 km is roughly the distance from Melbourne to Sydney, which is a huge amount of work happening beneath our feet," she continued.
This proactive approach is designed to prevent problems before they occur.
"Not all our work begins with a fault, much of what our crews undertake is focused on maintaining and improving the network to reduce the risk of bursts, discolouration and unplanned interruptions," Ms Hallam said.
To clean water mains, GWW uses one key technique: air scouring, which combines high-pressure water and compressed air to remove built-up sediment and scale from inside pipes, to help maintain water quality.
Most of Melbourne's water supply has naturally occurring sediments present and can build up in pipes over time. Removing this build-up helps maintain water quality, protect pipe condition and ensure safe, high-quality drinking water for customers.
While planned works can be inconvenient, they play an important role in keeping services reliable.
By inspecting, maintaining and cleaning the network each year, GWW helps reduce the risk of unexpected leaks and faults, prevent water quality issues, minimise emergency repairs and disruptions, and reduce water loss in our network – keeping services reliable for GWW's growing community.
