New technology installed in Nambucca Valley sewer network

Published on 26 March 2026

An innovative technology has been trialled in part of the Nambucca Valley sewer network, a cured in place manhole reliner to rehabilitate a failing sewer manhole.

This technology is an innovative solution from the United States which has been progressively rolled out in Australia by selected below-ground structural refurbishment specialists.

Nambucca Valley Council General Manager Bede Spannagle said the sewer manhole relining technology was one way Council is acting to deliver cost effective maintenance of the sewer and water systems to ensure the provision of affordable services.

“Council has recently developed and consulted the community on a 30-year strategic plan guiding water supply and sewerage service to the Nambucca Valley,” he said.

“Maintaining infrastructure assets and ensuring it has the capacity for growth comes with considerable costs to Council, so it is great to see innovation being used to lower maintenance costs and achieve good outcomes.

“I would like to thank Fitt Resources and Alternative Lining Technologies for travelling here to install these new treatments, so we can test its effectiveness in our network.”

Sewerage network condition assessments were carried out to identify which manholes across the valley were needing rehabilitation. A manhole at Valla Beach was selected as the trial site because its concrete had significantly corroded by sewage gases and it had some groundwater infiltrating into the network. The site was surrounded by bushland, making traditional manhole replacement with excavators more challenging, costly, and paired with an impact on the environment.

Installing the PVC composite systems liner with trenchless methodologies on Monday 23 March delivered a cost-effective refurbishment, with up to a 50-year life expectancy while minimising time and environmental impact.

To create the PVC composite systems liner, representatives from Fitt Resources visited the manhole in Valla Beach and scanned it with a special camera to create a 3D model. The liner was then manufactured in the United States and transported to Australia by plane. It was later inserted inside the manhole and then cured in place with heat under pressure. Holes were then cut into the liner to open the channel and reconnect the manhole to the sewer network.

You can view Nambucca Valley Council’s Strategic Plan Water and sewerage at https://www.nambucca.nsw.gov.au/files/assets/public/v/1/residents/water-and-sewer/p-fy20231685-pwo-gen-rp-002-a2_nambuccastrategy.pdf

ALL MEDIA ENQUIRIES TO:

Mr Bede Spannagle

GENERAL MANAGER

02 6568 2555