Using Recycled Water in Melbourne's East
Summary
- Eastern Treatment Plant has been supplying recycled water since the 1970s.
- Currently the plant supplies Class C recycled water to South East Water, and to Water Infrastructure Group (a private company) which treats the water to Class A quality.
- The plant will be upgraded to tertiary treatment by late 2012 which will make available up to 100 billion litres of high quality recycled water suitable for a wide range of activities.
Currently the Eastern Treatment Plant at Bangholme treats an average of 330 million litres per day to Class C quality.
Recycled water from the plant is used both onsite and by customers offsite.
In 2009/10 some 20,496 million litres of recycled water was used at or near the Eastern Treatment Plant. This included 14,179 million litres used onsite for in-plant processes such as sludge thickening, scum removal and equipment wash down.
We will upgrade the Eastern Treatment Plant to include an advanced tertiary treatment plant by the end of 2012 to meet our environmental discharge requirements. This will also produce a high quality recycled water suitable for a broad range of non-potable applications.
Advanced tertiary treatment means the recycled water will have gone through three levels of treatment to produce a very high quality water. The advanced tertiary treatment processes are based on filtering water and providing enhanced disinfection using ozone, ultraviolet light and chlorine. The advanced treatment process also reduce the colour and odour of the recycled water.
More information:
South East outfall customers
The Eastern Treatment Plant began selling recycled water to customers along the plant's 56-kilometre outfall pipeline in the 1970s.
In 2009/10, we supplied 1,135 million litres of recycled water to South East Water via the South Eastern Outfall pipeline.
The pipeline currently transports Class C recycled water from the Eastern Treatment Plant and some South East water treatment plants to Boags Rocks on the Mornington Peninsula. South East Water customers along the pipeline use this recycled water for agricultural and horticultural activities, including watering golf courses and sports grounds, root crop irrigation, flower growing and drip irrigation of vineyards. There are now 50 customers using recycled water from the South Eastern Outfall (compared with 44 in 2008/09).
Eastern Irrigation Scheme
The Eastern Irrigation Scheme operates under the brand TopAq, a wholly owned subsidiary of Water Infrastructure Group
We supply Class C recycled water from the Eastern Treatment Plant to Water Infrastructure Group, which conducts further treatment at its TopAq treatment plant using ultrafiltration membranes and chlorination to produce Class A quality recycled water.
TopAq then distributes Class A recycled water to more than 80 customers for horticulture, open space irrigation, industrial processes and South East Water supplied dual pipe schemes in residential developments.
The water is supplied via 50 kilometres of transfer and distribution pipelines.
In 2009/10, we supplied 5,182 million litres of Class C recycled water to TopAq for treatment and supply to its customers (see below).
More information:
Residential dual pipe supply
TopAq supplies Class A recycled water to South East Water for several residential estates in the Cranbourne area.
Recycled water is used by these residential customers for garden watering, toilet flushing, streetscape and open space irrigation via a dual pipe system.
The Sandhurst Club golf course in Carrum Downs was the first recycled water customer to be connected under the scheme.