Improving the reliability of water supplies

“Delivering a reliable supply of water for our customers is our top priority and one way we are achieving this is through our programme of reservoir and tank inspection and cleaning. 

“After your water has been treated at one of our Water Supply Works it is stored in large tanks, often found up on a hillside, before the water then gravitates down in our network of pipes to your home.

“Our reservoir maintenance team will shut the inlet to the reservoir cell and drain the water into supply. They then enter the reservoir to complete a condition survey and to clean it. As it’s confined space, the team needs to carry escape breathing apparatus and have a team on the surface to make sure they stay safe.

“If any issues are spotted in the tank, such as a hairline crack or a faulty valve, the team will carry out the repairs, unless a more detailed structural survey or engineering works are needed.

“Once completed, the tank is fully sterilised before being re-filled with water. The water is then sampled to make sure it’s safe to put back into supply. Sometimes, we might also install a loose membrane over the roof, which wouldn’t mean that the reservoir needed to be taken out of supply. 

“This programme of inspection, cleaning and maintenance has reduced risk to water quality and helped us find more potential structural defects which could impact water quality. Around 72% of our 355 storage reservoirs have now been inspected since 2020, and water quality compliance at our reservoirs is currently at 99.9%. 

“The reservoir maintenance programme is critical to ensure water quality standards are met and that we protect these amazing, Victorian assets."

Joanne Harris
Head of Water Performance

Learn more about how we treat your water and our reservoirs.