The sewerage network of a flooded northern Victorian town where residents were told not to flush their toilets has been partially restored.
Thousands of residents last week evacuated Rochester as floodwaters rose, with most still displaced and unable to return home.
The town's internet and sewerage systems have been down, and locals have started the clean-up despite authorities warning people to stay away from the town.
Coliban Water managing director Damian Wells said the town's sewer network was now "partially operational" after seven rapid response teams inspected and repaired it yesterday.
"The team has managed to get the system working as much as possible. It's potentially going to have significant outages, it potentially could be quite unreliable," he said.
"But they've managed to get a partial reinstatement, a partial restoration of the network, that is fantastic."
Keeping the water running the sewage system operational was top of mind for many of the Coliban Water staff, as the town started to flood.
"During the flood, one of our operators was boated into the site, and they went over the wall to make sure the water treatment plant continued to operate while their own house was underwater."
The longer rebuild of the network will take six to eight weeks and cost millions of dollars.
"There's a lot more electrical gear and pumps we need to source and install. There's going to be a lot of work. We're also thinking there could be some challenges," Mr Wells said.
Locals urged to have short showers, avoid baths
Flushing toilets is now allowed but over the next eight weeks, residents have been asked to consider minimising their wastewater usage by keeping showers short, not having baths and minimising washing loads.
"We've cobbled together a solution which has now given a partial operation to the sewer network. People can use the sewer network here in Rochester, we're asking people to just go for four-minute showers or a bit less, try to avoid baths — just try to be a bit frugal on water use because that puts pressure on the sewer network,"
As the services slowly come back on line Mr Wells, has asked the residents of Rochester to be mindful of the restrictions.
"Whilst the network has been partially restored, the service will be unreliable and customers should expect outages," Mr Wells said.
"Keep showers to four minutes, avoid baths where possible and consider washing loads."
Portable toilets and showers have been set up in a park on Queen Street and on the corner of Pascoe and Baynes Street in Rochester.
The majority of the town's pump stations and sewer network was inundated by last week's devastating Campaspe River flooding.
Coliban Water said a flood wall successfully protected the Rochester Treatment Plant.
"To have the ability to continue to provide safe drinking water for Rochester as they recover, is fundamental," Mr Wells said.
But millions of dollars will be needed to rebuild the flooded network.
"We're absolutely busting a gut on the longer-term solution [on the sewer network]," Mr Wells said.
"But we have a quiet confidence that this should serve them in the short term, while we get the longer-term solution going."
It means that the two key elements to providing a water service, the provision of safe drinking water and a operating sewer system which takes wastewater away, have been met.
"For now, people can use the sewer networks, they can go to the loo, they can have a shower as normal, " Mr Wells said.
