Presented by Robert Clark MP		www.robertclark.net

$120m upgrade for Werribee’s water treatment plant

The Deputy Premier and Minister for Agriculture and Resources, Patrick McNamara, has announced a $120 million improvement project to Melbourne Water’s Western Treatment Plant in Werribee.

It is expected that the project will benefit Port Phillip Bay through reduced nitrogen inputs, and that the local community will benefit through improved air quality once the sewage treatment lagoons are covered.

The project is also expected to open up opportunities for industry and agriculture in the area through providing a large volume of high quality recycled water.

As well, it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The project is based on the findings of a research study into the health of Port Phillip Bay.

Melbourne Water funded CSIRO in 1996 to conduct the environmental study of Port Phillip Bay to determine the impact of sewage effluent discharge from the Western Treatment Plant and the overall condition of the Bay.

Although the study found that the Bay was in good condition, it recommended a reduction in nitrogen loads, particularly in winter. The main sources of nitrogen were identified as effluent from the Western Treatment Plant and stormwater and urban run-off carried by Melbourne’s rivers, creeks and drains.

Since the completion of the study, Melbourne Water has been investigating the most effective ways to reduce nitrogen and improve the quality of effluent produced from the Western Treatment Plant.

The improvement project includes:

· Staged improvements to three lagoons over the next six years that will increase their capacity to reduce nitrogen from 55% to 70%.

· Installation of three-layered methane covers on two further lagoon systems to improve air quality and to capture methane gas for electricity generation at the plant.

· Production of high-quality effluent suitable for irrigation and a reliable supply of recycled water for high water-use industry.