Ferntree Gully, Northern Hypo Storage Facility

The Northern Hypochlorite Storage Facility will efficiently deliver essential chlorination to water supplies in South East Water’s northern service area. Hypochlorite (chlorine) is used in drinking water to improve the reliability and quality of our drinking water supplies to protect human health. 
 
The project will deliver a hypochlorite storage facility at the Knox water storage site located in Ferntree Gully.  

Hypochlorite (chlorine) is used in drinking water to improve the reliability and quality of our drinking water supplies to protect human health.

Chlorine has been used effectively around the world for more than 100 years as part of the water treatment process and the amount of chlorine added is minimal. 

Melbourne Water treats and disinfects your drinking water as needed before supplying it to us, so that it’s safe for you to drink and is of the highest quality. Chlorine is added as a disinfectant. This process kills nuisance microorganisms that might cause disease or grow in the network, such as pathogens and infectious bacteria.  

To learn more about water treatment, visit Learn about water.

Construction of the project is expected to start in early 2026 for approximately 8 months (depending on the weather). 

We will be conducting investigative works in the area before we finalise our design.

We need to locate and expose underground services and cables, using non-destructive digging (NDD). NDD uses pressurised water to break up and vacuum soil to expose assets and services. We also need to ensure our access route to the entrance of the storage facility along Wrexham Road is suitable for deliveries of plant and machinery.

We will be working within the Knox water storage site located off Wrexham Road, Ferntree Gully. The works zones will involve some  temporary fencing and water barriers to ensure the safety of nearby residents and the local community. 

At times we may need to temporarily remove on-street parking along Stephen Road and Wrexham Road to facilitate deliveries of plant and machinery. 

Construction hours will be Monday to Friday between 7am and 6pm. If Saturday works are necessary, they will take place between 8am and 1pm. On the odd occasion, we might need to work at other times for safety, technical or permit reasons.

Investigative works will be started on 5 May 2025 for approximately 4 to 6 weeks (depending on the weather).  We'll then finalise our design and return to site to complete construction. We'll let you know before we start works. 

South East Water and their appointed delivery partner BFHI will keep you informed about the project and construction in your area. We'll also keep this webpage up to date.

The project team will notify affected properties in advance and advise of alternative parking arrangements. The crew will also be available to assist residents where possible. We’re sorry for the inconvenience and will work to make sure this is for as short a time as possible.

The construction methods chosen are not likely to cause high levels of dust and vibration. The project team will carry out regular site area inspections during high volumes of work to monitor for the safety and comfort of local residents and the community.  There will be periods of noise from machinery and drilling rigs. The crew will try to keep noisier works to a minimum between 7 am and 9 am. 

If you require property access due to a medical condition, please contact:
BFHI: 
Phone: 0484 145 708 
Email: dgeorge@interflow.com.au

No. If you experience any disruption to your water or sewerage services please call our 24/7 Faults and Emergencies team on 13 28 12.

There is no cost to the property owner for these works. 

When we’ve finished the job, we’ll leave things how we found them and make sure we return any areas we’ve impacted as close as possible to their original condition.