Century-old pump station to be replaced

The final part of a $1.5m infrastructure project to fix sewage overflow problems in Salamanca will begin next week with the replacement of a 108-year-old sewage pump station.

Sewage problems caused by ageing infrastructure, stormwater entry and trade waste discharge have plagued Salamanca for a number of years, resulting in repeated overflows in the area.

Southern Water Executive Manager Asset Planning & Delivery, Russell Fox, said that the new pump station will help put an end to the regular sewage overflows experienced in the past.

“The existing pump station has been in operation since 1904 and was originally operated by compressed air. It was never designed to cope with the amount of wastewater which comes from all of the dining and entertainment venues in the area,” Mr Fox said.

“The state of the sewerage network in Salamanca had deteriorated to the point that it was causing very unsightly and inconvenient problems for patrons and business owners in the area.

“The improvements to the sewerage network in Salamanca and Battery Point undertaken over the past two years, combined with the work trade waste customers in the area are doing, will dramatically decrease the likelihood of future problems in the area.”

The new pump station will be located underground at the Silos end of Salamanca lawns. Work will begin on Monday and is expected to be completed by early December.
Mr Fox said that Southern Water is working closely with businesses in the area to minimise the impact of the work.
Southern Water