Gippsland Water has a legal requirement to ensure their activities do not cause harm to the environment, one way of achieving this is by monitoring its discharges to the environment. This monitoring is reported to the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and the community through Gippsland Water's Customer and Environment Committee and annual reports.
Environmental compliance of wastewater treatment plants and wastewater reuse
The following tables provides a breakdown of compliance of all wastewater facilities, as measured against EPA licence requirements and reuse and discharges of treated wastewater, for 2006-07.
| |
|
Volume reused (ML)
|
Volume discharged (ML)
|
Compliance with EPA Water Quality Limits
|
|
Treatment
system
|
Final fate of treated water
|
2005-06
|
2006–07
|
2005–06
|
2006–07
|
2005–06
|
2006–07
|
|
Drouin
|
Irrigation to pasture or
discharge to Shillinglaw Creek
|
204
|
255
|
186
|
143
|
100%
|
100%
|
|
Heyfield
|
Irrigation to pasture
|
54
|
59
|
0
|
0
|
100%
|
100%
|
|
Maffra
|
Irrigation to pasture and sporting field
|
203
|
166
|
0
|
0
|
100%
|
100%
|
|
Mirboo North
|
Irrigation to pasture and sporting field
|
31
|
96
|
0
|
0
|
100%
|
100%
|
|
Morwell
|
Supplement flow to wetlands
|
620
|
556
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
Stratford
|
Irrigation to pasture
|
88
|
70
|
0
|
0
|
100%
|
100%
|
|
Willow Grove
|
Irrigation to pasture
|
10
|
8
|
0
|
0
|
100%
|
100%
|
|
Neerim South
|
Discharge to Red Hill Creek
|
0
|
0
|
50
|
46
|
|
1
|
|
Rawson
|
Discharge to CoopersCreek
|
0
|
0
|
33
|
37
|
100%
|
100%
|
|
Warragul
|
Discharge to HazelCreek
|
0
|
0
|
1,436
|
1,193
|
100%
|
100%
|
|
Moe
|
Discharge to MoeRiver
|
0
|
0
|
2,054
|
1,550
|
100%
|
100%
|
|
Sub-total
|
|
1,210
|
1,210
|
3,759
|
2,969
|
|
|
|
% reuse1
|
|
24.4%
|
29.0%
|
|
|
|
|
|
ROS2
|
Discharge to Bass Strait (Delray Beach)
|
0
|
0
|
8,398
|
9,498
|
100%
|
100%
|
|
SWOP2
|
Discharge to Bass Strait (McGauransBeach)
|
0
|
0
|
7,434
|
7,957
|
100%
|
100%
|
|
Total
|
|
1,210
|
1,210
|
19,795
|
20,424
|
|
|
|
% reuse3
|
|
6.1%
|
6.1%
|
|
5.6%
|
|
|
1 Percentage of non-saline treated wastewater.
2 Ocean disposal of treated highly saline wastewater, unsuitable for reuse.
3 Percentage of total volume of treated wastewater.
4 Mechanical failure of an aerator caused the discharge of a high concentration of ammonium nitrogen.
5 Problems with biomass health caused a period of poor biological removal of phosphorus.
Average composition & volume of wastewater recieved in the Regional Outfall Sewer (ROS) (Inlet No. 2 Storage)
|
Parameter
|
Units
|
Mean
|
Minimum
|
Maximum
|
|
Flow
|
ML/month
|
848.0
|
717.1
|
957.3
|
|
pH
|
units
|
8.3
|
7.7
|
8.7
|
|
Electrical conductivity
|
mS/cm
|
2467
|
1800
|
5900
|
|
Suspended solids
|
mg/L
|
170
|
2
|
320
|
|
Biochemical oxygen demand
|
mg/L
|
112
|
63
|
190
|
|
Total nitrogen
|
mg/L
|
22
|
5.3
|
29
|
|
Total phosphorus
|
mg/L
|
4.9
|
2.4
|
6.6
|
Loy Yang Ash Pond at Saline Wastewater Outfall Pipe (SWOP) pump station-continuous monitoring data
|
Month
|
Flow (ML/Day)
|
pH
|
Turbidity (NTU)
|
|
Min
|
Max
|
Mean
|
Volume
|
Min
|
Max
|
Max1
|
Mean
|
90th %ile
|
|
July 2006
|
0.2 |
35.9 |
34.5 |
545.6 |
8.8 |
9.5 |
41.8 |
14.9 |
21.8 |
|
August 2006
|
0.1 |
35.8 |
33.0 |
539.7
|
8.9 |
9.4 |
49.3 |
16.1 |
20.5 |
|
September 2006
|
0.0 |
35.9 |
32.4 |
740.7
|
8.1 |
9.7 |
33.6
|
20.1 |
24.4 |
|
October 2006
|
1.0 |
35.6 |
30.8 |
776.6 |
9.2 |
9.7
|
32.2 |
15.9 |
21.0 |
|
November 2006
|
0.0 |
35.2 |
29.3 |
505.3
|
8.2 |
9.8 |
32.5 |
17.4 |
23.7 |
|
December 2006
|
0.0 |
35.4 |
30.3 |
633.9
|
8.4 |
9.6 |
32.7 |
16.9 |
23.6 |
|
January 2007
|
1.0 |
36.7
|
31.8
|
783.0
|
8.7 |
9.9 |
32.9 |
16.7 |
22.7 |
|
February 2007
|
0.1 |
35.1
|
33.1
|
718.1
|
7.7 |
9.5 |
33.9 |
15.1 |
25.9 |
|
March 2007
|
0.9 |
34.9
|
31.0
|
740.5
|
7.9 |
10 |
30.0 |
16.2 |
22.4 |
|
April 2007
|
0.0 |
35.2
|
29.7
|
587.7
|
7.9 |
9.6 |
33.1 |
16.3 |
24.0 |
|
May 2007
|
0.0 |
35.3
|
31.7
|
545.0
|
7.6 |
9.5 |
34.5 |
15.2 |
21.3
|
|
June 2007
|
0.6 |
35.2
|
32.8
|
817.9
|
8.9 |
9.4 |
32.2 |
15.1 |
21.8 |
|
Specified licence limits
|
|
|
35
|
|
7.0
|
10.5
|
25
|
|
|
1Where the value observed maximum exceeds the EPA licence limit, the pumps were subsequently shut off automatically soon after.
Monitoring wastewater discharge
The EPA is charged with the responsibility of monitoring Gippsland Water's wastewater discharges and treatment. This is to ensure that our environmental resources are preserved. They have developed a State Environment Protection Policy for Victoria, which provides a legal framework for State and local government agencies, businesses and communities to work together to protect and rehabilitate Victoria's surface water environments.
Gippsland Water has committed significant capital resources in order to meet new requirements. Regular monitoring is undertaken of all our discharge points to ensure that our environmental licence requirements are adhered to. |