As the anniversary of the city's once-in-50-years flood approaches, a new council truck is helping to clear a backlog of drainage maintenance, freeing staff to respond in the event of heavy rain.
Until now, drains were cleaned by hand in a process which could take all day. In its first few months of operation, Warrnambool City Council's drainage team is averaging 18 cubic metres, or 25 tonnes of debris cleared from the storm water system each month using the $511,000 jet/vac truck.
The vehicle uses a high-pressure water hose which breaks up debris up to 100 metres along the drainage pipe, while a second hose acts as a vacuum, sucking the material into the truck.
After debris is sucked into the truck, it's taken to a depot where it is drained, sorted, sifted and where possible, recycled.
Warrnambool City Council chief executive officer Peter Schneider said the new infrastructure could help in the event of a flood.
"Warrnambool is a city situated between two rivers, with Russells Creek running through the middle - when we receive a significant amount of rainfall within a short period of time, certain areas can be prone to flooding," he said.
"By having access to our own jet/vac truck year round, council is working to maximise the effectiveness of our drainage system by cleaning pipes and allowing as much water as possible to flow through and this has the potential to reduce the impact of certain flooding events.
"Without the need to rely on contractors, if we receive a report of a blocked drain, our staff can respond much more quickly."
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Mr Schneider said there was also a significant environmental benefit to having the truck.
"With the amount of rubbish in the drains, just being able to get that out of our storm water system and dispose of it properly, that's a very important environmental aspect that helps to protect our oceans," he said.
"We have the equipment to separate the organic material and use it as clean fill."
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Jessica Greenan
Journalist at The Warrnambool Standard covering Corangamite Shire Council. Sometimes court. Special interest in all things environment.
Journalist at The Warrnambool Standard covering Corangamite Shire Council. Sometimes court. Special interest in all things environment.
