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Environmentally sustainable sewerage trial commences in Kinglake Westkinglake

Yarra Valley Water is moving ahead with its plans to deliver innovative sewerage services to a small area in Kinglake West, which will deliver environmental and public health improvements to the local community as identified by research undertaken by CSIRO and RMIT.

This unique project is being supported by the Victorian Water Trust, a Victorian Government research and innovation fund, and will also serve as a demonstration trial of national and international significance.

The area was selected for the research because the existing septic tanks could not contain effluent onsite, it is too far away to be connected to the metropolitan sewerage system, and the area is also adjacent to the environmentally sensitive Kinglake National Park.

‘The project was put on hold after the devastating February bushfires. It is great to see that many of these households are now rebuilding and this gives them an excellent opportunity to be part of a more sustainable sewerage solution,’ said Yarra Valley Water Managing Director, Tony Kelly.

Elements of the project include:

  • A household greywater system to collect used water from laundry and bathroom (not toilet), and treat this for reuse in the garden, toilet flushing and for cold water supply to laundry;
  • Collecting urine by way of “urine separating toilets” installed in place of normal toilets. This allows urine to be collected and reused for agriculture;
  • Collecting wastewater from the kitchen and toilet (minus the urine) in an onsite interceptor tank. Effluent from the interceptor tank is transferred by pumping to a reticulated sewer, and ultimately to a local treatment facility.

With construction having commenced on the project, Yarra Valley Water will also soon begin another stage of the trial which will see “yellow water” applied to farmland as fertiliser.

The agronomic trial will take place at Kinglake West turf farm, Green Acres Instant Lawn.

‘Nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus are important resources when it comes to farming, and are often applied to crops in the form of fertilisers. Coincidentally, these same nutrients are also found in human urine or “yellow water”,’ said Mr Kelly.

‘Yarra Valley Water is committed to creating a more environmentally sustainable future. We are seeking sewerage solutions that allow us to “close the loop”, so that nutrients can be reused beneficially instead of being a mere waste product.’

Mr Kelly says the urine separating toilets will also provide more than agricultural benefits.

 ‘As well as allowing yellow water to be collected, treated and reused as a fertiliser, the urine separating toilets will also reduce the strain on the sewage plant downstream. In addition, the toilets help the environment by using very low volumes of water for flushing – approximately 1.3 litres for the small flush.

‘Urine separating toilets have been operating effectively for decades; European countries such as Sweden have thousands of these toilets installed,’ Mr Kelly added.

 

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