Introduction
Corryong was named after the Kuriong pastoral run, taken up in 1839 by a pastoralist from New South Wales. It’s thought that the name was derived from Aboriginal expressions referring to red body painting clay or a possum skin garment.
Though it would take until the relatively late 1860s for settlers to arrive, Corryong flourished thanks to a location in a wide valley watered by the Corryong Creek (which is joined by Thougla Creek). Farm selections began in 1867, with a school opening in 1872. In 1875 and 1876 a store and a hotel were constructed – or, more accurately, picked up and carried from declining gold settlements and replanted in the burgeoning town.
Corryong proved to be a viable dairying district. A butter factory that opened at Cudgewa was transferred in 1899 to Corryong which was found to be nearer the centre of Upper Murray dairying, turning out about five tons (about the size of a heavy-duty truck) of butter a week.
According to the Australian Handbook in 1903 Corryong was home to three wine saloons, a rare ‘coffee palace’ and ‘a police station that was lighted with kerosene’.. The handbook also informed readers they could reach Mt Kosciusko in one day by horse.
North East Water
Corryong and North East Water
Kiewa Murray Region Water Authority became responsible for Corryong’s water supply and sewerage services when the Authority was constituted on 1 December 1994. In the 1995-96 financial year the Authority provided water services to a population of 2,160 and wastewater services to a population of 2,040. Corryong’s water supply was untreated and remained so until 1999.
In its second year of operation Kiewa Murray Water completed a 500 kilolitre water storage, which increased the reliability of supply.
The North East Region Water Authority was constituted on 1 July 1997. During its first year of operation, CEO Jim Martin was responsible for achieving a set of expectations by the Minister. One of these expectations was to achieve improved reliability and quality of service. With the Corryong water supply not disinfected at the time, there would often be high turbidity in the raw water, resulting in turbidity targets being exceeded. The Corryong Drinking Water Consultative Committee was formed to look at ways to ensure compliance with Government Drinking Water Quality Standards by 1999.
Construction of the Corryong Water Treatment Plant
Construction of the Corryong Water Treatment Plant commenced during the 1998-99 financial year. The new Corryong Treatment Plant was completed in December 1999, and allowed for UV and chlorine disinfection. Consistent with the wishes of the community at that time, only the UV disinfection was in use.
A new $5.2 million Water Treatment Plant for Corryong
In March 2013 North East Water completed a new Water Treatment Plant for Corryong. The new plant enabled a significant improvement in the quality of the water provided to customers in Corryong and Cudgewa. The new plant uses a dissolved air flotation and filtration (DAFF) process, which effectively removes contaminants that the previous system was not able to remove. This new process, combined with the addition of chlorine disinfection, ensures a safe, high quality water supply for the Corryong and Cudgewa community well into the future.
The Corryong Water Treatment Plant, photographed in 2014
The new plant was officially opened by the Minister for Water, the Honourable Peter Walsh and Chair of North East Water, Joanne Anderson.
Former Minister for Water, the Honourable Peter Walsh and former Chair of North East Water, Joanne Anderson
Members of the Corryong community also attended the official opening ceremony, along with Mr Bill Tilley MP, Towong Shire Mayor Mary Fraser and Councillors, Towong Shire Council CEO Juliana Phelps and North East Water Board members.
North East Water’s Managing Director, Craig Heiner, speaking to members of the community at the opening
North East Water’s Simon Edwards giving members of the community a tour of the plant
The Water Supply Today
The Corryong / Cudgewa system’s water is drawn from Nariel Creek. From there the water is pumped to a 90 megalitre Hamilton Hill Basin, which was constructed in 1984. The Basin provides protection to water quality conditions in the creek, such as high turbidity levels following heavy rainfall events. From the Basin, raw water is gravity fed to the Corryong Water Treatment Plant. Following treatment the water is transferred to a clear water storage before being provided to the Corryong and Cudgewa reticulation system.
The raw water offtake at Nariel Creek
Treating Corryong’s Wastewater
Corryong’s wastewater collection system was developed around 1960 and today includes 29 kilometres of sewerage reticulation.
When Kiewa Murray Water assumed responsibility for Corryong’s wastewater services in 1994, the Wastewater Treatment Plant, which is thought to have been constructed in the 1960s, was already in operation.
By the time the North East Region Water Authority took over Corryong’s water and wastewater services, wastewater performance was below the target compliance. The Authority planned an upgrade of the Wastewater Treatment Plant, to enable compliance with discharge licences to be achieved by December 2001. There were licence exceedances for E.coli, which were likely due to the prolific bird life in the lagoon system at the time.
The Wastewater Treatment Plant was upgraded during the 2014-15 financial year, with an aerator added to provide increased treatment capacity for future growth. The reuse was also upgraded, to include automated flood irrigation.
The upgraded Wastewater Treatment Plant and flood irrigation, photographed in 2016
The lagoon at the Wastewater Treatment Plant, photographed in 2002
Today the wastewater system includes the collection system and the Corryong Wastewater Treatment Plant and storage. Reclaimed water is used for irrigation on the land adjacent to the treatment plant.
