In February, Victorian Water Minister, Harriet Shing, announced the start of works on a new Resource, Recovery and Re-Use Complex.

The $711 million facility is a major milestone in the transformation of the Western Treatment Plant to reduce greenhouse emissions and cater to the needs of a growing Melbourne population.

The project will improve the treatment capacity of the Western Treatment Plant, which treats over 60% of Melbourne’s sewage.

Currently managing 200 billion litres of sewage a year, capacity will be increased by almost 50 per cent, ensuring Melbourne Water continues to service Melbourne – a city projected to double in population by 2050.

Image: First sod turned at Western Treatment Plant Resource Recovery and Reuse Complex.

Did you know the Western Treatment Plant is also a working farm? The site is home to livestock and a variety of pasture and crops. In keeping with current agricultural best-practice, seasonal burning of left over materials following a harvest is conducted before new crops are sown.

This year, planned burning is scheduled from April to June, weather permitting. During this time, you may notice smoke at the Western Treatment Plant.

The Victorian Wader Study Group and Melbourne Water teamed up this month to successfully monitor 129 red-necked stints at the Western Treatment Plant’s Lake Borrie. The birds were banded, flagged, weighed, measured and aged.

Why is this important? The data collected helps provide valuable information that monitors bird health and environmental conditions.

Fun fact: the orange bird tags are exclusive to Victoria, making them easier to spot the birds in other countries on their huge annual migration.

Working with our partners Southern Rural Water and Victorian Environmental Water Holder, nearly 200 megalitres of water for the Lower Werribee River was released from the Melton Reservoir.

Many of our rivers and lakes have been modified as our population grows so that water can be used for towns, industry and food production. Releasing this water for the environment helps to maintain the health of our rivers and the plants and animals that depend on them.

More information: Water for the environment | Melbourne Water

You're invited to join the conversation at the NEW Eastern Treatment Plant (ETP) Community Online Hub. Both WTP and ETP play an essential role in keeping our environment safe and clean.

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