Recycled water facility in Wollert
We’re planning to upgrade our recycled water treatment plant in Wollert to cater for the new homes and people who’ll move into surrounding areas over the coming years.
The new facility will be a 10 million litre a day recycled water facility and is driven by the expansion of the continued development in the Northern Growth Area. This growth will see more than 160,000 lots developed in the region over the next 2 decades. The capacity of our existing recycled water treatment plant is around 2.9 million litres a day.
It’s mandated that new houses in this area are built with recycled water infrastructure. This helps save precious drinking water, with a typical residential property using about 25% less on average.
This project is in the early design phase and is expected to be commissioned in approximately 4 years.
Map of the recycled water facility in Wollert
Have your say
Now is the time for you to have your say about the facility and anything you think we should be aware of as we progress the project.
Join us at an information session
Join us at an information session to hear about the new facility at our Wollert site and have the opportunity to ask questions:
- Online information session on Wednesday 25 September from 6-7 pm
- Online information session on Monday 30 September from 6-7 pm
- In person information session on Wednesday 2 October from 6-8 pm at Kirrip Community Centre, 135 De Rossi Boulevard, Wollert.
Register
Don’t have access to the internet? Call us on 9872 1563 to register over the phone.
Need information in another language?
If you'd like information in a language other than English, we can organise for it to be translated into your preferred language. We can also book an appointment for a telephone conversation with a member of the project team and an interpreter.
Email us at [email protected] or call us on 9872 1563 to organise.
Frequently asked questions
Where will the new recycled water facility be built?
The new facility will be built on our site at 521 Craigieburn Road East, Wollert. It will be immediately south of the existing treatment plant.
Why are you building a new facility?
We’re building a new recycled water facility in Wollert for 3 reasons:
- It’s mandated by State Government that new houses in the Northern Growth Area are built with recycled water infrastructure. Using recycled water to flush toilets, water gardens, and wash cars and clothes helps save precious drinking water.
- The capacity of our existing treatment plant is around 2.9 million litres of recycled water a day which isn’t enough to service the 160,000 homes in the Northern Growth Area in the next 20 years.
- Continued population growth in the Northern Growth Area will see more than 160,000 houses built over the next 20 years that will need water, recycled water and sewerage services.
What will it look like?
The new facility is yet to be fully designed. When we have more detail, we’ll make this available. It is unlikely to have a visual impact for residents living to the north east of the Hume Highway.
Will it smell?
It's unlikely there will be noticeable odours from the new recycled water facility. It will operate under strict Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) odour control requirements, and we’ll monitor the air quality with artificial ‘noses’.
We’ll deliberately design the plant to make sure the air quality is always acceptable for the local community.
Will it be noisy?
We’ll include noise assessments and modelling as part of the design to make sure the facility doesn’t audibly impact the area. During construction, nearby residents may see or hear increased truck traffic to and from the site.
What impact will it have on traffic?
We don’t expect significant traffic delays or diversions on Craigieburn Road East as there’s a turning lane into our site. In the rare event of, say, an oversized load blocking a lane on its way to the site, we’ll have the necessary permits and traffic management will make the area safe to keep traffic moving.
When the new facility is up and running, we don’t expect more traffic to the site than we currently get.
When will it operate?
Like all treatment plants, it will operate 24/7. This is to ensure we provide essential water and sewerage services 24/7 to our customers.
Do you use chemicals?
Chemicals are used in all recycled water facilities. They are safely stored and managed to strict conditions on site.
The liquid chemicals aren’t flammable and in the highly unlikely event of a leak, they are housed within another tank to prevent spills to the environment.
Can I get access to the recycled water?
If you live in the area, your home will have recycled water plumbing and receive recycled water from us.
How are you engaging the community?
We’re contacting the local community and inviting them to have their say about this project as we increase our recycled water capacity for the Northern Growth Area.
We’ve written to around 8000 nearby residents and businesses with information about our project and invited them to online and in-person information sessions and to share feedback on our engagement website.
We’ve also shared our project contact details so people can contact us directly:
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: 9872 1563
What are the impacts on the environment?
The new facility will help improve Melbourne’s water resilience by helping to save precious drinking water. Unlike drinking water, recycled water doesn’t rely on rainfall – it is a climate resilient water supply.
Recycled water is safe to use for toilets, laundry, gardening and washing vehicles.
We’re designing the facility to manage odour constantly. The tanks within the facility are designed so nothing can leach out into the environment. In the case of chemicals stored on site, they are stored safely within another tank.
As the new facility has a bigger capacity and produces more recycled water, it will use more energy. We’ll use energy produced by our food waste to energy facility on the same site supplemented by electricity purchased from the electricity grid when needed.
What is recycled water?
Recycled water is treated sewage from showers, toilets, sinks and washing machines, produced to Class A quality, according to strict guidelines set by the Department of Health and the EPA.
These high standards are ensured through process control and quality assurance systems including continuous monitoring throughout the treatment facility.
Recycled water doesn’t rely on rainfall and is a climate resilient water supply. It’s a sustainable water source that helps to save drinking water — which is good for Melbourne’s water storages, the community and the environment.
Recycled water is safe to use for toilets, laundry, gardening and washing vehicles. Our facility at Wollert will produce the highest quality of recycled water ‘Class A’.
How is recycled water produced?
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How do I use recycled water?
If your home has a separate recycled water pipe system, you can use recycled water for:
- Flushing toilets
- Watering plants, lawn, and vegetable gardens
- Washing clothes
- Washing vehicles
- Filling pet water bowls (safe for all animals, except pigs)
- Fighting fires
- Filling ponds, fountains, and other water features, noting this water should be changed regularly.
What is recycled water NOT suitable for?
- Drinking
- Preparing food, cooking, or washing dishes
- Showering or bathing
- Evaporative coolers
- Bidets and hand-held toilet sprays
- Swimming pools and spas
- Slip and slides and other water toys