Welcome to the Tertiary and Training Section
Building site industry training
GreenSmart Professionals: protecting our rivers and creeks
As part of our $23m Healthy Rivers Program, Melbourne Water and HIA are working together:
- to educate and train building professionals about the effects of stormwater pollution from building sites on the health of rivers, creeks and the bay.
- to provide practical solutions to help building professionals address stormwater pollution from building sites.
- to raise awareness of building professionals and the general community that our rivers, creeks and bays are valuable assets and that we all have a role to play in protecting the health of our rivers, creeks and the bay.
This will be achieved through:
- development of a Model Environmental Site Management Plan;
- development and delivery of Environmental Site Management training module;
- development of relevant site management consumer based material.
Housing Industry Association (HIA)
Melbourne Water GreenGardeners - Caring For Our Rivers and Creeks
Melbourne Water has commenced a training program of sustainable gardening workshops for landscapers and nursery staff. Learn more about the GreenGardeners program.
Read an interview with one of the first graduates of the Melbourne Water Green Gardeners training program.
Green Builders
- Keeping Our Stormwater Clean - A Builders Guide (2006 Update) (PDF 3.1mb)
Keeping Our Stormwater Clean - A Builder's Guide contains up to date information to help minimize the risk of stormwater pollution from building sites, including site rules, tips for builders, supplier contacts and a detailed building site management planning template.
Limited hard copies of this guide are available by contacting Melbourne Water online or by phoning 131 722. - Site Management Plan (PDF 86kb)
Clean Site Checklist (Excel, 111kb)
This planning template and checklist helps builders ensure they manage the risk of stormwater pollution when planning a site. Draw the site, fill in the details and mark the boxes when each task is complete.
Water Sensitive Urban Design
Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) is about integration of water cycle management into urban planning and design.
Its key aims are:
- To protect and enhance natural water systems within urban developments.
- To utilise stormwater in the landscape by incorporating multiple use corridors that maximise the visual and recreational amenity of developments.
- To improve the quality of water draining from urban developments into receiving environment.
- To reduce peak flows from urban development by local detention measures and minimising impervious areas.
- To minimise the drainage infrastructure cost of the development.
Melbourne Water has developed a Water Sensitive Urban Design website designed for industry, councils and tertiary students - www.melbournewater.com.au/wsud.
Melbourne Water's Sewage Treatment Plants
During the 04-05 financial year, more than 14,400 people visited both Eastern and Western treatment plants.
Western Treatment Plant at Werribee is a world leader in the development of environmentally friendly sewage treatment processes. The plant, which covers about 11,000 hectares, treats about 54 per cent of Melbourne's sewage, averaging 485 million litres a day.
It has been improved and continually developed since 1897 when the first properties were connected to Melbourne's sewerage system. In the past the plant used three methods of treatment: lagoon filtration, land filtration and grass filtration. Early in 2004, land and grass filtration gave way to lagoon treatment.
Effluent is discharged to Port Phillip Bay and must meet Environment Protection Authority discharge requirements.
In response to the findings of the Port Phillip Bay Environmental Study, Melbourne Water is undertaking the largest upgrade of the treatment process in the plant's 100-year history. This will ensure that the Western Treatment Plant continues to be a leader in environmentally responsible sewage treatment.
Melbourne Water offers educational tours of the Western Treatment Plant in Werribee. During a 2-hour tour of the treatment plant students discover the incredible methods used to treat Melbourne's sewage.
For further details and tour charges please contact:
Melbourne Water - Communications (Tours)
PO Box 4342
Melbourne 3001
Tel +61 3 9235 2253
Fax + 61 3 9235 7177
Email: Contact us on line
The Eastern Treatment Plant at Bangholme processes about 370 million litres of sewage daily, from Melbourne's eastern and south-eastern suburbs. This is about 40 per cent of Melbourne's sewage.
The 1,100-hectare plant uses a treatment method known as the activated sludge process. Sewage is treated to a secondary standard and the effluent is chlorinated. It is then discharged at Boags Rocks, near Gunnamatta and St Andrews beaches, under an EPA Victoria licence. A small amount of secondary-treated effluent is recycled.
The Eastern Treatment Plant opened in 1975 and at the time was a world leader in sewage treatment. Since then, community expectations have increased and technologies have advanced. Melbourne Water is investing $87 million to reduce the ammonia content of treated effluent from the Eastern Treatment Plant. This project will reduce ammonia in treated effluent by 75 per cent. This will result in a significant improvement in the marine environment at Boags Rocks. This is a significant and complex project that involves upgrading each of the plant’s aeration tanks.
The first stage of the project, which involves modifications to the existing tanks, will be completed by 2007. The construction of additional tanks will be completed in 2009.
As part of the White Paper water reform package, Securing Our Water Future Together, the Government announced that a feasibility study would be undertaken to transfer recycled water from the Eastern Treatment Plant to the Latrobe Valley. The Latrobe Valley feasibility study could lead to a massive infrastructure project that has the potential to use up to 80% of the Eastern Treatment Plant's treated effluent.
Melbourne Water conducts group tours of the Eastern Treatment Plant. Please phone Melbourne Water on 131 722 or contact us on line
Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs)
Melbourne Water participates in a number of CRCs that look at improvements in water quality, sewage treatment and rivers and creeks management. For more information, phone Melbourne Water on 131 722 or contact us on line.
Visit the Federal Government's Cooperative Research Centre website.
Annual Reports
Perhaps the best source of information for projects, research and general fact-finding related to Melbourne Water is our Annual Report, which contains detail on all the projects we have worked on during the past year. Our triple bottom line scorecard approach measures our performance across a number of key business areas and gives the most accurate view of all workings within the organisation. View our annual reports.