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Sewerage

Goals related to sewerage

  • Deliver safe sewage transfer, treatment and disposal
  • Improve river health and the marine environment
  • Minimise waste disposal and maximise resource recovery
  • Develop and implement efficient capital
  • investment and operations programs
  • Ensure stringent regulatory obligations are met

Key achievements

  • The upgrade of the Eastern Treatment Plant entered a new phase with the beginning of trials to determine the preferred technology for tertiary treatment as initial ammonia reduction works were completed
  • Construction works began on a major new sewerage pipeline in Melbourne’s northern suburbs that will cater for growth and protect local waterways
  • The sludge drying pans at the Eastern and Western treatment plants were upgraded to improve drying efficiency, biosolids quality, environmental compliance and safety
  • We continued working on the Metropolitan Sewerage Strategy as well as other planning and investigation projects for the Eastern and Western treatment plants to meet future challenges, including consideration of climate change as a key driver for adaptation.

Disappointments

  • Despite extensive research, work with regulators and business case development, little progress was made towards meeting our targets for beneficial use of biosolids
  • A grassfire started by a power fault burned for almost 24 hours in a decommissioned sludge drying pan at the Western Treatment Plant at a time of extreme bushfire danger.

Challenges

  • Resolving the future of the ocean outfall from the Eastern Treatment Plant
  • Preparing the treatment plants to meet the likely impacts of climate change such as storm intensity, wet weather flows, sea level rise and the implications of rising average temperatures on concrete corrosion and odour
  • Managing the impacts of lower average inflows at our treatment plants as a result of the drought and climate change
  • Managing the impacts of higher peak flows in the future at Western Treatment Plant due to the impacts of catchment growth and wet weather spill reduction works in the sewerage transfer system
  • Identifying opportunities for beneficial uses of biosolids at the Eastern and Western treatment plants
  • Balancing the need to reduce the environmental impact of the discharge from the Western Treatment Plant with the role the discharge plays in providing nutrients for shorebird habitat
  • Implementing and optimising additional odour control at the Western Treatment Plant to minimise impacts at the adjacent River Walk development.