Melbourne Water undertakes routine inspections and maintenance of Lilydale Drain and other drainage assets within the local area. To ensure the drainage network continues to provide appropriate drainage for the local area, at times maintenance and desilting works are required.
Who is responsible for drainage infrastructure in the Lilydale area?
Melbourne Water is responsible for the provision and maintenance of:
- main drains (e.g. Lilydale Drain)
- creeks (e.g. Olinda Creek)
- retarding basins
- wetlands.
Lilydale Drain is shown in the diagram below. Note the Lilydale drain is located on both public (from Beresford Rd to Nelson Rd) and private property. Specifically upstream (north) of Nelson Road to Olinda Creek Lilydale Drain is located on private property (no public access).
Yarra Ranges Council manages the local drainage network, including:
- pits
- open pipes
- open drains
- retarding basins.
Melbourne Water and Yarra Ranges Council work together (along with access and support from relevant private landowners) to deliver a program of work managing the drainage network. This includes planned inspections and proactive and reactive maintenance of our drainage assets.
What do Melbourne Water drainage maintenance works typically involve?
- Melbourne Water conducts quarterly visual inspections to inform its maintenance program for the Lilydale Drain to ensure the hydraulic function is maintained.
- When levels of sediment, vegetation or debris/litter reach a point that present a risk to the environment or hydraulic capacity of the drain, maintenance works are scheduled
- Vegetation management is sometimes required This may include removal of impeding the flow through the drain, such as trimming down reeds, removal of large woody debris, removal of plants or tree or their root balls and the removal of dead trees.
- Removal of built-up sediment or silt is sometimes required. Machinery is used to excavate the accumulated sediment. This activity is dependent on site conditions and weather, as some machinery is not able to safely work on soft ground. For these reasons, Melbourne Water tries to schedule works in warmer months.
- Sediment is often temporarily stockpiled onsite to allow it to naturally dry out. This drying process takes approximately 8 - 10 weeks and is dependent on weather conditions. After it has dried out, the sediment stockpile/s are then be removed by trucks.
What impacts to the local community might you notice during maintenance works?
Local residents may notice some minor activity that includes:
- increase in vehicles and machinery in the area during our works
- some increased noise, if excavation is required
- minor odour while the silt is drying caused by the natural process of material breaking down
- pedestrian and traffic management will be in place, as required.
We will make every effort to minimise the impact of these essential works on the local community and the environment.
Why does Melbourne Water undertake drainage maintenance works?
- Melbourne Water’s core obligations include the function to operate, maintain, improve and investigate its drainage assets and systems, including the Lilydale Drain.
- To ensure the drainage system continues to provide appropriate drainage (hydraulic capacity) for the local area, at times maintenance and desilting works are required.
- While the drain network is designed to support rainfall events, significant high rainfall events may exceed the drain’s designed capacity due to higher flows of stormwater.
How does the drainage system work?
When it rains, some water naturally seeps into the ground. To prevent the rest of it from flowing towards low-lying land, the drainage system directs it into rivers and creeks — and eventually into the bay.
- Stormwater enters house gutters and downpipes, and flows into residential drains
- Residential drains connect to council drains along streets and roads
- Council drains connect to Melbourne Water’s regional drains (e.g. Lilydale Drain)
- Regional drains direct stormwater into the nearest river or creek (e.g. Olinda Creek), or directly to the bay via piped beach outlets
- Rivers and creeks flow into Port Phillip or Western Port bay
Recent and upcoming works (updated March 2025 | Updated quarterly)
Inspections
- Last inspected February 2025
- Next inspection May 2025
Recently completed works
- Desilting/Sediment removal from Nimblefoot Way towards Olinda Creek – completed December 2024
- Desilting/Sediment removal upstream of Nelson Rd – complete March 2025
- Vegetation grooming from Nelson Rd to Nimblefoot Way - completed February 2025
Works currently scheduled
- Removal of sediment stockpiles Nimblefoot Way - scheduled March 2025
- Desilting/Sediment removal downstream of Beresford Rd – scheduled March/April 2025
Works currently in planning
- Potential selective vegetation removal from drain, including Willows impacting functionality of drain, downstream of Nelson Rd, coupled with potential selective desilting/sediment removal
- Potential future vegetation grooming (around drain) near Golf Course, coupled with desilting as required
Contact us
If you have questions or feedback, please get in touch:
You can also go to the Yarra Ranges Council website to keep up to date on what both Yarra Ranges Council and Melbourne Water are doing in the local area related to drainage and flood mitigation works, and subscribe to the Yarra Ranges Council The Source E-newsletter.