The Eastern Treatment Plant (ETP) of Melbourne Water is a sewage treatment plant that serves much of the city of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, south-eastern Australia. The plant is at Bangholme, 31 km south-east of Melbourne’s central business district and adjacent to its south-eastern suburbs.
Contents |
The plant was built in 1975 on a 1100 ha site. It treats about 330 ML of sewage a day, comprising 40% of Melbourne’s wastewater production, from about 1.5 million people, mainly in the eastern and south-eastern suburbs. It generates its own electricity from biogas. Following treatment, some water is used as recycled water locally. The rest is pumped through a 56 km pipeline to discharge into Bass Strait at Boags Rocks on the Mornington Peninsula.[1]
As of November 2011, the Eastern Treatment Plant was undergoing an upgrade to reduce environmental impact of the water discharge and increase water reuse applications of the water. The wastewater will be treated by ozone, biological filters, ultraviolet disinfection, and chlorine.[2] The UV disinfection system that will be installed at the Eastern Treatment Plant will be the largest in Australia, consisting of 7 closed-vessel UV reactors.[3]
Along with the nearby Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands, the ETP is part of the Carrum Wetlands Important Bird Area (IBA) and supports many bird species of regional, state, national and international conservation significance. Species for which the IBA is globally important are the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Blue-billed Duck, Chestnut Teal and Australasian Bittern.[4] There is no public access to the ETP for birdwatchers but the birdlife has been monitored since 1998 by monthly surveys conducted by Birds Australia, with 177 species recorded for the site.[1]