Western Treatment Plant

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Coordinates: 38°00′S 144°34′E / 38.000°S 144.567°E / -38.000; 144.567
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Satellite image of the Western Treatment Plant on 26th November, 2007.
Satellite image of the Western Treatment Plant on 26th November, 2007.

The Western Treatment Plant (formerly the Metropolitan Sewage Farm or, more commonly, the Werribee Sewage Farm) is a 110 km2 (42 sq mi)

recycled water a year.[2] (The Eastern Treatment Plant
treats 40%.)

History

The need for a solution

The discovery of gold in Victoria in 1851 led to Melbourne becoming the richest city in the world at the time[3] and thus, with a population of about 500,000 by the 1880s, also Australia's most populous.[4]

The rapidly expanding metropolis faced an increasing pollution problem. While it was described by British journalists as "Marvellous Melbourne" and "a city of magnificent intentions", it was also being dubbed "Marvellous Smellbourne" because of its primitive and

typhoid were rife.[6]

Conception and planning

In 1888, a

Royal Commission was formed to come up with a solution to Melbourne's waste problems. The Commission's findings led to an ambitious plan for the construction of a sewerage system - a system of pipes, sewers and drains built underground to carry sewage from homes and factories to a sewage treatment farm.[7]

In 1892, the newly established

Werribee, chosen for its low rainfall and suitable soils. Western Treatment Plant (then known as Werribee Farm) began operations in 1897.[7]

Eminent British engineer

pumping station at Spotswood where it was forced up wrought iron rising mains to Brooklyn to begin its 25 kilometre journey along the Main Outfall Sewer to the sewage farm at Werribee.[8]

Main Outfall Sewer

The Main Outfall Sewer was constructed in 1892-4 and was a vital link in the sewerage system of Melbourne which, when it was constructed in the 1890s, was the largest civil engineering project ever undertaken in Victoria. The sewer was constructed by seven contractors employing 1300 workers and cost £240,748.[8]

The Main Outfall Sewer consists of a semicircular brick or concrete lined channel (in places arched over to form a circular tunnel with an earth covering) and three brick arched aqueducts. It runs for approximately 27 kilometres or 17 miles from the old pumping station in Spotswood (now part of Scienceworks Museum) to the Western Treatment Plant, spanning the suburbs of Brooklyn, Laverton North, Williams Landing, Hoppers Crossing and Werribee in the cities of Brimbank, Hobsons Bay and Wyndham.[9]

The Main Outfall Sewer's function has now been entirely replaced by the more modern Western Trunk Sewer. The Main Outfall Sewer has been listed on the Victorian Heritage Register for being "of historical and scientific (engineering) significance to the State of Victoria."[8]

The Federation Trail — a 23 km (14 mi) cycling and pedestrian trail — runs mostly alongside the Main Outfall Sewer.

Upgrades

In 1996, a Port Phillip Bay Environmental Study by the

Recycled water irrigation replaced sewage irrigation across the site. Land and grass filtration methods previously used were stopped.[7]

General

Most of the

Altona North
, follows the heritage-listed Main Outfall Sewer.

"Greening the Pipeline" is a project aimed to transform approximately the pipeline into a 40-metre (43 yd) wide parkland in Melbourne's western suburbs to connect its communities.[9] The pilot stage will be a 100m section in Williams Landing.[10]

Sewage treatment

System of treatment

There are three modern

organic material. The water progressively becomes cleaner as it flows through each of the ponds. Two main types of ponds are used in lagoon treatment - anaerobic (without oxygen) and aerobic (with oxygen) - both producing different types of bacteria needed to break down the sewage.[11]

Electricity from biogas and odour control

Using huge covers over the ponds,

odour emissions are significantly reduced. Around 90% of odour emissions from the Western Treatment Plant have been cut since the first methane covers were installed in 1992.[13]

Water recycling

A

sports grounds, parks and gardens.[13]

The remaining treated effluent is discharged into Port Phillip Bay under an accredited EPA Victoria licence.[2]

Environment

Black swan (Cygnus atratus) nesting at the Western Treatment Plant

In 1921 parts of Port Phillip Bay and Bellarine Peninsula including the Western Treatment Plant were declared a

native animals. In 1983 the plant was declared a Ramsar site, internationally recognised for its wetland habitat especially for waterfowl.[7]

The Western Treatment Plant is one of Australia's best-known sites for recreational

critically endangered orange-bellied parrot. Access to the Western Treatment Plant for birdwatching is by permit only; permits can be obtained from Melbourne Water.[2] The site is part of the Werribee and Avalon Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because of its importance for waterbirds as well as for orange-bellied parrots.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ Observable from official Melway maps, http://www.street-directory.com.au/vic/melbourne
  2. ^ a b c Western Treatment Plant, Accessed 10 July 2012.
  3. ISBN 1-55963-591-6
  4. ^ "The Snowy Mountains Scheme and Multicultural Australia". Atse.org.au. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
  5. ^ "History of Sewerage". Melbourne Water. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  6. ^ "Melbourne's first sewage treatment plant". Melbourne Water. Archived from the original on 28 January 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d http://www.melbournewater.com.au/content/sewerage/western_treatment_plant/history/history.asp . Cannot be Accessed on 15 Sep 2018.
  8. ^ a b c "VHD".
  9. ^ a b "Greening the Pipeline | A future vision for Melbourne". greeningthepipeline.com.au. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  10. ^ "Greening the pipeline - Williams Landing parkland | Melbourne Water". www.melbournewater.com.au. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  11. ^ "Sewage treatment - How it works today: Melbourne Water". Archived from the original on 5 June 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  12. ^ "Biogas | Melbourne Water". www.melbournewater.com.au. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  13. ^ a b "Melbourne Water : Sewerage : Western Treatment Plant : Community and Environmental Benefits". Archived from the original on 14 June 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  14. ^ BirdLife International. "Important Bird Areas factsheet: Werribee and Avalon". Retrieved 20 January 2024.

38°00′S 144°34′E / 38.000°S 144.567°E / -38.000; 144.567

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