The water industry (including wastewater treatment) accounts for 0.5% of greenhouse gas emissions in Australia. This impact is primarily due to methane and nitrous oxide emissions and electricity consumption during waste treatment processes, as well as energy consumption in the pumping of large volumes of water.
Using Australian Greenhouse Office guidelines, Gippsland Water undertook a review of greenhouse gas emission sources and energy consumption in its operations in 2006–07. The relative greenhouse gas impacts, standardised as equivalent tonnes of carbon dioxide gas emitted, are summarised in the table below.
|
Activity
|
CO2-equivalent (tonnes/year)
|
|
|
2005–06
|
2006–07
|
|
Waste treatment1
|
62,349
|
54,338
|
|
Water treatment2
|
11,629
|
11,087
|
|
Traralgon office operations3
|
1,344
|
1,421
|
|
Fuel use4
|
1,350
|
1,594
|
|
Livestock5
|
5,216
|
5,420
|
|
Total
|
81,886
|
73,860
|
1 Methane and nitrous oxide gas emissions, electricity.
2 Electricity, soda ash consumption.
3 Electricity.
4 Petrol, diesel, gas.
5 Methane and nitrous oxide from cattle and sheep.
The greenhouse gas impacts of Gippsland Water’s operations in the current reporting period were similar to 2005–06. Of the categories reported, the largest increase in emissions was due to livestock management. Gippsland Water increased the number of head of beef cattle during the reporting period, as well as managing sheep at Dutson Downs for a period of time.
Gippsland Water subscribed to Greenfleet in 2005–06. The role of Greenfleet is to plant trees to absorb sufficient carbon dioxide to offset the annual emissions of a subscribing organisation’s vehicle fleet. Greenfleet planted 1,615 native trees at Dutson Downs, to offset 408 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from Gippsland Water’s car fleet.
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