IN the past during times of heavy rain residents in Adamstown and surrounding suburbs would often find their sewers overflowing.
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Those days are well and truly in the past with the completion of a $13 million upgrade to the wastewater system.
The project, which took eight years to finish, used ‘‘horizontal directional drilling’’ to tunnel beneath Merewether Golf Course and through the hill at Merewether Heights to Burwood Waste Water Treatment Plant.
Hunter Water chief operating officer Darren Cleary said the project’s 4.5-kilometres of pipeline, plus a new pumping station off Glebe Road, would stem the overflow problems.
‘‘During wet weather, water infiltrates the wastewater system,’’ he said.
‘‘Because Adamstown is particularly low lying, it’s especially susceptible to heavy rain flooding the network and leading to sewer overflows.’’
Brooke Hirst, of Adamstown, said the new system was great news.
‘‘This is great moving forward and for future development,’’ she said.
Newcastle MP Tim Owen said the upgrade was part of a long-term strategy.