History
1888 - Royal Commission into public health following cholera and typhoid outbreaks in Melbourne.
1890 - Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) established.
1897 - Western Treatment Plant (then known as Werribee Farm) began operations. First homes connected to Melbourne’s sewerage system.
1921 - Parts of Port Phillip Bay and Bellarine Peninsula including the Western Treatment Plant declared a sanctuary for native animals.
1982 - Western Treatment Plant declared a Ramsar site, internationally recognised for its wetland habitat especially for waterfowl.
1996 - Port Phillip Bay Environmental Study by CSIRO recommended reduction in nitrogen loads to the bay.
2004 - Plant upgraded to reduce nitrogen loads to the bay. Recycled water irrigation replaced sewage irrigation across the site. Land and grass filtration methods stop being used.
Melbourne's first sewage treatment plant
In 1888 a Royal Commission was carried out to come up with a solution to Melbourne’s waste problems. Prior to this, methods for disposing of human waste were very basic. Sewage had been collected in open channels that ran into the Yarra River and Hobsons Bay, and cholera and typhoid were rife.
The Commission’s findings led to an ambitious plan for the construction of a sewerage system - a system of pipes, sewers and drains built underground to carry sewage from homes and factories to a sewage treatment farm.
In 1892, the newly established Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) began buying land at Werribee, chosen for its low rainfall and suitable soils. Western Treatment Plant (then known as Werribee Farm) began operations in 1897.
Preserving conservation values
The Western Treatment Plant contains a network of lagoons, wetlands, inter-tidal and shoreline areas that provide a haven for thousands of birds. The wetlands, attract an amazing array of birdlife including thousands of migratory waders that fly 12,000 kilometres south from Siberia to avoid the harsh northern winter.
In 1921 parts of Port Phillip Bay and Bellarine Peninsula including the Western Treatment Plant were declared a sanctuary for native animals. In 1983 the plant was declared a Ramsar site, internationally recognised for its wetland habitat especially for waterfowl.
Moving to a modern era
In 2004, Melbourne Water completed a $160 million upgrade of the plant. This work stemmed from a CSIRO study which found that Port Phillip Bay could be damaged if nitrogen loads entering its waters continued to increase.