Regulations and guidelines we follow 

To produce and supply recycled water to you, we follow strict regulations and guidelines and treatment processes to make sure it’s safe to be used for its intended purpose.

We need approval to supply you with recycled water

To provide Class A recycled water to you, we need to demonstrate that we give our recycled water the proper treatment and have strict processes to detect and manage risks. These networks and schemes must be:

Class C schemes and networks that recycle industrial water or supply more than one megalitre (1 million litres) of recycled water a day must also be approved by EPA Victoria (or an EPA -appointed auditor).

The Chief Veterinary Officer also needs to endorse schemes that supply water for livestock feed.

Using recycled water for agriculture and irrigation  

The agricultural sector is the largest consumer of recycled water in Australia. 

About 425GL (1GL = 1 billion litres) of recycled water is used across Australia with around 66% (280GL) used by the agricultural industry for dairy farming, pasture irrigation, raising livestock and horticulture. 

Class A recycled water is suitable and approved for high exposure uses, including irrigating food crops eaten raw such as lettuce and berries. 

The Australian Government approves this use in its Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling – as does EPA Victoria in its Victorian Guideline for Water Recycling.

As the world’s climate gets warmer and drier, more countries are turning to recycled water to grow food for people and animals, as it’s sustainable and doesn’t rely on rainfall like drinking water does.

You can find out more in the Victorian guideline for irrigation with recycled water (EPA Victoria)

Treatment process for Class A recycled water 

We put our Class A recycled water through an advanced treatment process involving several steps. We do this to make sure it meets strict regulations and guidelines and is safe for what it’s meant to be used for.

Primary treatment
  • Removes large solids and grit.
  • Settles out heavy particles. 
Secondary treatment
  • Uses bacteria to break down organic matter. 
  • Removes nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus. 
Tertiary (advanced) treatment 
  • Uses filtration to removes fine particles. 
  • Uses ultraviolet (UV) disinfection to kill bacteria, viruses, and protozoa. 
  • Chlorination adds a final layer of protection. 
  • Ozone or membrane filtration may also be used for extra safety. 
What we remove

Wastewater contains things that can be harmful to people and the environment. Here’s what we must remove to turn it into recycled water:

  • 99.9999% Bacteria (e.g. E. coli) 
  • 99.99999% viruses 
  • 99.9999% Protozoa (e.g. Cryptosporidium) 
  • Helminths (parasitic worms like tapeworms) 
  • Solids and organic matter

Emerging contaminants in recycled water

Emerging contaminants are chemicals that are not completely removed or degraded through recycled water treatment processes. They’re natural or manmade chemicals that may cause known or suspected harm to our environment and/or human health, including:

  • pharmaceuticals 
  • pesticides 
  • industrial chemicals 
  • herbicides 
  • personal care products 
  • endocrine disrupting compounds 
  • per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). 
What we’re doing
  • We control how recycled water is used, which limits exposure to emerging contaminants. 
  • We use biological and other advanced treatment processes including filtration, ultraviolet disinfection and chlorination to remove or break down emerging contaminants. 
  • We monitor 500 chemicals across the emerging contaminants listed above, including PFAS. We sample our Class A recycled water every 6 months and our Class C recycled water every 12 months and check the results against human health and environment guidelines. 

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