The Environmental Protection Authority was forced to step in last year and issue North East Water with a pollution abatement notice when the pipe spilled near Church Street.

NEW communications and engagement executive Ann Telford told a community meeting this week about plans to replace the pipe running through the historic park and prevent another overflow.

“We know that had an environmental impact that none of us wanted, it is something our organisation is deeply concerned about,” she said. “It’s not one of our proudest moments, but unfortunately with really aged infrastructure, it doesn’t have a great deal of capacity so when we have a huge stormwater event coming in, we find it spills in a number of places.”

The preferred option after consultation with the community was to run the sewer system along Last Street, Sydney Road and Old Chiltern Road, then into the historic park.

But NEW project engineering senior manager Simon Edwards said nothing had been ruled out and the plans were “far from a done deal”.

“The preferred option is always to have the pipeline underground,” he said.

“Whatever option we do, we don’t want to be back here doing this anytime soon.”

NEW will investigate if it is possible to dig under granite rocks in the historic park.

Staff had considered using helicopters, to avoid the need to clear trees, but that was scrapped after they discovered it would do more damage to the tree canopies.

The option to dig underneath Old Chiltern Road to install a new pipe was supported by nearby residents, who made up the majority of people at the meeting, especially because it would allow the existing problem of potholes to be fixed.

Those works could only go ahead with approval by Indigo Council.

Residents expressed frustrations they were “flying blind” without detailed plans on what the pipe system with extra capacity.

Mr Edwards said NEW would take on the their ideas and concerns and should have completed designs by early next year.