When Dianne and Winston James moved to Wyee in 1983 they were assured the sewer would be connected within "a couple of years".
Thirty seven years and more than a few state governments later, the day has finally arrived.
The couple are among 400 residential landowners can now apply to connect to the new system, which has the capacity for about 2750 new homes in the future.
"It's pretty exciting to know that pretty soon we will be connected to the sewer and we are not going to have boggy ground around us all of the time. I'll also be glad to see the end of the pump-out trucks," Ms James said.
The completion of the $36 million project means Wyee property owners will save thousands of dollars a year because they will no longer have to pay an average $2500 per year for their septic systems, including frequent pump-out costs. This cost will reduce to about $700 per year.
Lake Macquarie MP and former mayor Greg Piper said retro-fitting a modern sewer network into the older settlement had been challenging.
"Celebrating the arrival of a sewer network might seem a bit odd to some people, but after decades of campaigning by the community to get this project across the line, I know how much it means to the people of Wyee," Mr Piper said.
"I'm delighted that the Wyee community will have the amenity and affordability of living that is taken for granted in most residential areas around the state.
But while Wyee residents are celebrating, other unsewered parts of the Lower Hunter, such as Hexham, continue to wait.
Water Minister Melinda Pavey said she was awaiting advice from Hunter Water about the possibility of connecting Hexham to the sewer network.
"We have to prioritise and put it where you have density of population. Hexham doesn't have that density," she said.
"In communities where you have a wider space septic works well but where you have high density, such as here (Wyee), it presents challenges to environmental outcomes. Higher density means you can share the load of that cost."
It is likely to cost of connecting Hexham properties to the network would be higher than $90,000 per property, the cost of connecting properties in Wyee.
"That's a challenge we are always going to have around Hexham - the future development options on that floodplain are very challenging." Ms Pavey said.
"Technology is also working to the benefit of people living on rural or bigger properties.
"The systems are getting better and more affordable." but where you have higher density we need to be in a modern age.
