About us

header_faqs.jpg
Doncaster Hill

Doncaster Hill Principal Activity Centre

An innovative scheme developed by Yarra Valley Water will provide recycled water to developments in Doncaster Hill by the end of 2013.

While recycled water schemes are becoming common in greenfield urban developments, Doncaster Hill is believed to be Australia's first high density urban redevelopment to incorporate a dual pipe system to deliver recycled water to residents.

Yarra Valley Water is working together with Manningham City Council on the project, which will see recycled water delivered to around 4,000 new residential dwellings in Doncaster Hill developments by the end of 2013.

The redevelopment of Doncaster Hill presents a unique opportunity to showcase integrated water management and retrofit the area with a recycled water system which will provide a more beneficial outcome for the whole community; reducing drinking water use by 30 percent, decreasing energy use - when compared with a conventional approach - by 10 percent and reducing nitrogen flowing to Port Phillip Bay.
 

Working closely with Manningham City Council

Yarra Valley Water has been working closely with Council to develop a best practice integrated water management strategy which offers an alternative to traditional approaches.

The centrepiece of the strategy will be a “third pipe” reticulation system delivering recycled water to all new developments within Doncaster Hill. Wastewater which is currently being sent all the way to the Eastern Treatment Plant in Carrum will instead be treated locally and used to produce recycled water which will be delivered to customers via the third pipe system.
 

Background

Doncaster Hill is a mixed-use sustainable urban village development covering approximately 60 hectares centred around the intersection of Doncaster Road and Williamsons/Tram Road in Doncaster.

Manningham City Council’s 20-year Doncaster Hill strategy will see the addition of approximately 4,000 new residential dwellings, retail and commercial developments, a major addition to the Council’s civic centre, and the creation of additional public open space. This includes the proposed redevelopment of the existing Eastern Golf Club site on Doncaster Road.
 

Doncaster Hill ministerial visit World Water Day 2011

 

Doncaster Hill ministerial visit World Water Day 2011

Victorian Water Minister Peter Walsh visited the Doncaster Hill recycled water project and development today for World Water Day. He was joined by representatives from Yarra Valley Water, Manningham City Council and local member Mary Wooldridge.

 

Recycled Water Treatment Plant

As part of the sustainable development policy advocated by Manningham City Council, residents of new apartments in Doncaster Hill will have access to Class A recycled water for non-drinking uses. A recycled water treatment plant (RWTP) needs to be built to supply this water.

 

Planning Permit for the RWTP

Yarra Valley Water submitted a planning permit application to Manningham City Council on 20 February 2012. The planning permit application is for the Recycled Water Treatment Plant (RWTP) proposed to be built in the Tram Road Reserve, Doncaster. Manningham City Council will be publicly advertising the application for comment in the coming weeks.
 

 

Brushy Creek Sewage Treatment Plant site tour

Yarra Valley Water operates many Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) in our service area, including the Brushy Creek STP in Chirnside Park which treats sewage to a Class A recycled water standard. The Brushy Creek STP uses an open-air process for treating sewage, as opposed to the proposed enclosed treatment process for the Doncaster Hill Recycled Water Treatment Plant (RWTP), but there are similarities between the two treatment plants.

On Saturday, 21 January 2012 we conducted a site tour of the Brushy Creek STP, which demonstrated our treatment process and gave visitors an opportunity to learn more about potential impacts on the nearby community and how these impacts are minimised or avoided.


 

Frequently Asked Questions

Background

1. Is Council aware of the Doncaster Hill project?

Yes. Manningham City Council, Yarra Valley Water and Melbourne Water signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2008 to explore sustainable water solutions for Doncaster Hill. This led to an options assessment for managing the area’s water supply, sewerage and stormwater, which concluded that a local source of recycled water would provide an environmentally responsible additional water source suitable for a range of non-drinking uses. Yarra Valley Water nominated (mandated) Doncaster Hill as a Class A recycled water area as a result. We have been working with Manningham City Council since to develop an implementation plan and identify a suitable location for the treatment plant.

 

2. Who is paying for the treatment plant?

Construction of the treatment plant will be funded from Yarra Valley Water’s capital works budget and from New Customer Contributions that developers in the Doncaster Hill area are required to pay for each new residential dwelling. Ongoing costs will be covered by the sale of the recycled water. The use of recycled water reduces the demand on Melbourne’s drinking water system, reducing the risk of future water restrictions for the entire community and reducing the need for further augmentation to the system.

 

3. Are there other examples of the treatment plant?

There are numerous recycled water schemes in operation around Melbourne, although this will be the first treatment plant that will supply several developments in an in-fill area. There are also a number of recent office developments that have recycling facilities located within the buildings, often in the basement. A scheme similar to Doncaster Hill is proposed in City of Melbourne’s Docklands development. In Sydney, a similar treatment plant has been constructed in the middle of a golf course.

 

4. Is there more information on the golf course treatment plant in Sydney?

Sydney Water has information on their sewer mining (the process of extracting sewage to be treated and used as recycled water) projects on their website.

 
 

Design

5. What will the treatment plant look like?

The current artist impressions of the treatment plant are available in the 'Related Links' above. The project is still in the preliminary design stage and this current design will be subject to change. However, the main components (membrane bio reactor, ultrafiltration units, ultraviolet units, water storage tank) of the treatment plant should remain constant. Trees will be planted around the site to screen it from view from the park as much as possible.

 

6. When will the treatment plant be built?

Prior to any construction works commencing Yarra Valley Water has to finalise the design, apply for and receive a planning permit from Manningham Council and approval from EPA Victoria. Subject to these applications being approved, construction is planned to commence in late 2012.

 

7. Why is the treatment plant being built in Tram Road Reserve?

The treatment plant needs to be located close to a large sewer (the water source) to ensure the maximum amount of water that can be harvested for recycling. The plant also needs to be close to the area that will use the recycled water as pumping water long distances uses a lot of energy and it is therefore more energy efficient to produce the water close to the end use. A number of sites in the area were assessed including the Eastern Golf Club, Ruffey Lake Park and the Doncaster Park and Ride, but were discounted for a range of technical issues including insufficient flow in the sewer, incompatible land use and insufficient land area. The Whitehorse City Council side of the creek was considered however Council would not approve of the use of the site.

Because Tram Road Reserve is subject to flooding, large areas of the reserve are a retarding basin to hold excess stormwater when it rains heavily to prevent flooding of surrounding properties. We need to locate the treatment plant in an area that is not at risk of flooding. We propose to locate it in an area cut into the hill to reduce the visual impact from properties and where it does not encroach on the park area. This will also ensure that the maximum amount of open space is maintained.

  

8. Is it necessary to create a treatment plant in parkland surrounding a built up suburban area?

The major recycled water treatment plants in Melbourne are located a long way from Yarra Valley Water’s servicing area. We are therefore required to construct our own recycling facilities, which we are also doing in other growth areas. It is worth noting that pumping water long distances uses a lot of energy, so it is more energy efficient to produce the water close to the end user if possible.

 

9. Why can’t the treatment plant be located at the Eastern Golf Club?

The treatment plant needs to be located close to a large sewer (the water source) to ensure the maximum amount of water can be harvested for recycling. Unfortunately, the sewer at the Eastern Golf Club has insufficient sewage flow to supply the treatment plant.

 

10. Are there plans to expand the treatment plant in the future?

It is possible that the treatment plant will be upgraded in the future. This will depend on the rate of growth and the level of water use in the area. Any expansion would also require planning approval.

 

11. Why are the water mains not in Tram Road?

There are a number of reasons – ease of construction, cost of construction, time of construction, disruption to Tram Road traffic and ease of future maintenance. The alignment in the residential streets is shorter and can be installed at a shallower depth than in Tram Road. This will minimise the time that traffic in the area is disrupted. The proposed alignment allows us to avoid works in Frank Street, the main access to Tram Road for this area. This will minimise the impact on traffic for local residents in peak hour. We will work with residents to ensure that busy roads/intersections are not impacted during peak hour times. 

As part of our water mains renewal program Yarra Valley Water is constantly installing mains in residential streets and our experience shows that we can install 20-40 metres of water main per day. It is therefore expected that the water mains from Grange Park Avenue to Doncaster Rd will be installed within a 4-8 week period.

 

Operation of the site

12. Will there be staff permanently on site?

The site will not be permanently staffed however it is likely that staff in one vehicle will need to visit the site daily. Access is likely to be from Grange Park Avenue. There will also be monthly deliveries of chemicals to the treatment plant, which will require a truck to visit the site.

 

13. How will Tram Road Reserve be accessed?

Pedestrian and bike access to Tram Road Reserve from Grange Park Avenue will be maintained during and after construction on the recycled water treatment plant. We expect that a basic gate will be installed at the Grange Park Avenue entrance to Tram Road Reserve. This is to restrict vehicle access to the reserve to Yarra Valley Water and Manningham City Council vehicles. The actual treatment plant site within the reserve will have a fence around it with a locked gate to prevent unauthorised access.

  

14. What chemicals will be used at the treatment plant?

Chemicals are required at the plant for the treatment process and for cleaning the plant equipment. There are strict restrictions on the use of these chemicals to ensure that there are no spills to the environment. We expect the chemicals on site will be:

  • Citric acid – a natural preservative commonly added to foods and beverage. Citric acid is used for cleaning equipment at the treatment plant and will be stored on site in relatively small volumes.
  • Sodium hypochlorite – used in household bleach and chlorination of swimming pools.
  • Caustic soda – found in household bleach to enhance the cleaning effectiveness of sodium hypochlorite. Caustic soda will be used in this application for cleaning equipment at the treatment plant and will be stored on site in relatively small volumes.
  • Aluminium sulphate – a coagulator that attracts small particles to form a larger mass that is easier to filter on site.

 

Many of these are familiar household chemicals that can be stored and used safely with appropriate controls, which would be a basic prerequisite for approval. None of these chemicals are flammable or explosive. Chemicals at the treatment plant are all stored in liquid form (no gases) in dedicated closed storages. In the unlikely event of a spill, these storages are housed within another tank so spill to the environment is extremely unlikely.

 

15. What gases will be emitted from the treatment plant?

Most of what comes out of the treatment plant’s ventilation stack will be air. The sewage treatment process will produce some sulfur-based compounds and ammonia. However, these will be almost completely removed from the vented air by the treatment plant’s odour treatment unit. The chemicals that are added to the sewage treatment process are in a liquid form and are used in low concentration and volume, so untreated gases will not be vented out through the stack.

The proposed treatment plant will meet all regulatory requirements, including those set by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA Victoria) and the Department of Health. The treatment plant’s operations are controlled to prevent any risks to environmental or human health, and ensure the safety of our staff and contractors who work in these environments daily.

 

Impacts

16. How long will construction take? Will there be disruptions to surrounding properties during construction?

We estimate construction to take around twelve months and there will be some associated disruption. We will work with residents to minimise the impact, but some disruption will be unavoidable. The main disruption will be from construction noise and increased construction traffic.

 

17. Will I see the treatment plant from my house?

The treatment plant will be cut into the hill so that it can’t be seen from the houses that back on to Tram Road Reserve.

 

18. Will the treatment plant smell? Will it be noisy?

The treatment plant will be fully enclosed within a building. An odour treatment unit will be installed to ensure that the treatment plant will not smell and meets EPA requirements. The building will also be insulated to ensure that noise levels are within EPA requirements. The EPA must give approval for the treatment plant before any construction can commence.
 

19. How will the treatment plant affect property prices?

Yarra Valley Water understands that many local residents are concerned about the impact of the treatment plant location on the value of their property. We will seek expert advice from an independent property valuer, and will make the outcome known to all interested residents.

 

20. How will the treatment plant impact on the park and the creek?

All wastewater from the treatment plant will be returned to the sewer, so there will be no impact on the creek. We are working with our designer to minimise the footprint (size) of the site. It will be cut into the hill so that very little open space in the park will be lost. This will also mean that the treatment plant should not be visible from surrounding properties. Trees will be planted around the plant to screen the view from the park.

 

21. Will there be any trees removed?

While some trees will need to be removed we will endeavour to keep the treatment plant footprint to a minimum and a flora and fauna assessment will be completed. The trees along the top of the hill will be retained to screen off the treatment plant. We will also plant new trees as specified in Council guidelines for the Koonung Creek area to make up for any trees that are removed and help to screen the plant.

  

Recycled water

22. What is Class A recycled water?

Class A recycled water is produced from water that is discharged from showers, toilets, sinks and washing machines. This water is treated to a standard that is specified for non-drinking use in domestic applications, such as flushing toilets, washing clothes, and watering gardens.

 

23. What are the health risks associated with using recycled water?

Recycled water is for non-potable (non-drinking) use only. Class A is the highest grading given by Environment Protection Authority (EPA Victoria) and the Department of Health for treated water reclaimed from the sewerage system. Continuous monitoring and quality assurance systems will be in place at the treatment plant to maintain this Class A grading.

 

24. Who will be using the recycled water?

Developments within the mandated recycled water area in Doncaster Hill will be required to provide a recycled water connection via a separate pipe network to each dwelling as a condition of connection. This project will deliver significant community benefits, including reducing drinking water use by up to 30 per cent.

 

25. How much water will be saved?

The treatment plant will have the capacity to save an Olympic-size swimming pool (2,500,000 litres or 2.5 mega litres) worth of water every week and reduce household drinking water use by one third.

  •