Water Corporation WA | Sewer relining

Project goal:

To reline old wastewater pipes, protecting the local wastewater system, homes and environment.

Status:

In construction

Delivery Date:

On-going

What's happening?

Sewer relining is an ongoing program to renew ageing wastewater pipes. This work is completed by our authorised contractors. Where possible, pipes are relined using trenchless technology.

This means we won’t need to dig anything up to replace the pipes, minimising the impact on the local community. Check out the tab ‘How does it work’ for more information.

Where is this happening?

Work areas with relevant commencement dates:

Northam (extended): May 2023 to March 2024 - To view aerial maps with street names please select the relevant Work Map available under 'Related documents'
Perth metropolitan region: January 2024 to June 2024 - We will be working across many suburbs. To view areas of work, please select the 'Work Areas' tab

Why is this work taking place?

To ensure our central wastewater system continues to be safe and reliable. The work will extend the life of this important infrastructure by at least 50 years.

When is this happening?

Sewer relining is an ongoing project across the state which started over 10 years ago.

How will this impact the community?

Work activities

Nearby residents may notice more activity in the area. Noise from generators and vehicles and temporary odour. Work will be approved in advance by your local government authority.

Generally, we will be in one area for no more than six days at a time as we progress work along the wastewater route. If required, traffic management will be in place to direct people around the work area.

Access to property

Contractors will be working in both verges and/or roads and may work in the boundary of private properties. If crews need access to your property, they will contact you to discuss the work and arrange entry. They will only need access to your back or front yard and will not need to enter your home.

During the work

If you experience any odour in your bathroom, flush your toilet and pour water down the floor drain. Where possible, please close all toilet covers during this period.

In the rare instance wastewater does overflow out of your toilet, please notify the relevant contractor immediately. The contractor will assess the issue, work with you to organise a clean-up and notify the Department of Health.

Caption describing what the table is about for screen readers
HOW DOES IT WORKS
Step 1 - Pipes are checked via CCTV To determine exactly what we need to do to fix them.
Step 2 - Pipes are cleaned High pressure water is jetted through the pipes. It may cause some odour or on a rare occasion, spurting from your toilet. We therefore advise to keep the toilet lid down. If water does spurt out of the toilet, please contact the Interflow Project Manager immediately.
Step 3 - Pipes are relined A new liner is installed inside the old pipe by a machine and forms a new pipe.
Step 4 - New pipe is connected Lateral lines (property connections) are reconnected to the new pipe and junctions are sealed to protect the new pipe. This opens the connection to provide access to the system.
Step 5 - Pipes are checked This ensures that the job has been done properly. If we find any issues, we'll come back and fix it. We may need to return to the area to repeat the above steps.