Melbourne Water Corporation Environment
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MW EnvComObAR1999 for PDF 5/11/99 10:02 AM Page 1 M ELBOURNE WATER C ORPORATION E NVIRONMENT AND C OMMUNITY O BLIGATION R EPORT 1998/1999 MW EnvComObAR1999 for PDF 5/11/99 10:02 AM Page 2 C ONTENTS 1 Foreword 2 Corporate Objectives and The Urban Water Cycle 4 Risk Management in The Urban Water Cycle 5 Fulfil Our Community Obligations 14 Be a Leader in Environmental Management 23 Glossary 24 Keeping the Community Informed 25 Drinking Water Quality 33 Eastern Treatment Plant Licence Compliance 1998/1999 37 Western Treatment Plant Licence Compliance 1998/1999 44 Waterway Water Quality Monitoring Results 50 Verification Statement 51 Environment Policy 52 Public Health Policy 53 Community Relations Policy 55 Feedback Form The bird illustrated on the front cover is a White Ibis. MW EnvComObAR1999 for PDF 5/11/99 10:02 AM Page 1 FOREWORD his publication reports on the Melbourne Water has developed two corporate environment, public health and objectives that reflect its responsibilities in T community responsibilities of these areas. They are: Melbourne Water. It provides information on > To fulfil our community obligations issues and challenges faced during the year and outlines initiatives being undertaken to > To be a leader in environmental improve the Corporation’s work in delivering management essential services to the community. The 1998/1999 Environment and Community Obligation publication reports on Melbourne Melbourne Water has a central role in the Water’s performance in meeting these urban water cycle. Water is harvested from objectives. It is a companion document to the catchments, stored in major reservoirs and Corporation’s 1998/1999 Annual Report. transported to the three retail water The environmental auditor of the Snowy companies who service the community. Mountains Engineering Corporation, who is Sewage and industrial waste are collected and accredited by the Environment Protection transported from these companies for Authority, has verified environment and treatment and disposal. Melbourne Water is public health compliance data contained in also responsible for the collection, transport the report. and, when appropriate, the treatment of stormwater from drainage systems owned by Comments and suggestions on the content municipal councils and for waterways and would be welcomed. floodplain management in greater Melbourne. All parts of the urban water cycle – water collection and transport, sewage treatment and disposal, effluent recycling and stormwater management – involve significant Brian Bayley environmental and public health issues. Managing Director In undertaking its responsibilities in managing the urban water cycle, Melbourne Water is also accountable to its customers and the community. 1 MW EnvComObAR1999 for PDF 5/11/99 10:02 AM Page 2 C ORPORATE O BJECTIVES AND T HE U RBAN W ATER C YCLE Melbourne Water’s role in the urban water cycle is underpinned by two key corporate objectives – to fulfil our community obligations and to be a leader in environmental management. They are supported by strategic directions that involve: Precipitation Providing high quality, safe drinking water When rain falls it is > Working with the retail water companies to harvested in Melbourne’s maintain a reliable supply of safe drinking water protected catchments that consistently meets the requirements defined most of which are closed in their operating licences. to the public. > Continuing to undertake research on Melbourne’s water supply to determine whether there are any health effects from drinking unfiltered water. > Maintaining public confidence in the safety of Melbourne’s water supply through working with the retail water companies and the Department of Human Services to provide accurate information on drinking water quality and to ensure a coordinated response to drinking water quality issues. Informing and educating the community > Undertaking community education programs on the sewerage, drainage and water supply systems. > Enhancing relationships with local communities and community groups. > Undertaking effective community consultation on infrastructure and research projects. > Involving the community in projects to improve Melbourne’s waterways. Protecting Melbourne’s waterways and bays > Continuously improving the performance of the Water evaporates to form sewerage system and treatment plants. rain clouds. > Meeting all regulatory requirements. Evaporation > Minimising the impact of stormwater run-off on waterways and bays. > Undertaking research to maximise the Effluent is discharged to environmental benefit of expenditure on upgrades bays and oceans. to treatment plants. Bays and Oceans 2 MW EnvComObAR1999 for PDF 5/11/99 10:02 AM Page 3 Water supply to retail water companies Water collection and The retail water companies catchment management provide water and sewage Rainwater from the services to metropolitan Stormwater management catchments is stored at Melbourne. Approximately 16 major reservoirs 480,000 million litres of fresh Stormwater runs into drains around Melbourne. water is transported to homes and waterways which carry and businesses each year by it to Port Phillip Bay and the retail water companies. Western Port. The Urban Water Cycle Household and industrial waste is collected by the retail water companies and is transported to Melbourne Water’s treatment plants. Recycled water is used for Sewage treatment a range of agricultural and horticultural purposes. Rainwater is released from reservoirs to maintain flows Water recycling in Melbourne’s waterways. Waterways 3 MW EnvComObAR1999 for PDF 5/11/99 10:02 AM Page 4 R ISK M ANAGEMENT IN T HE U RBAN W ATER C YCLE Melbourne Water’s risk management policy ensures that Incident level three risk is managed consistently throughout the organisation Incidents needing resolution with a significant and throughout the urban water cycle. A Risk Audit environmental or public health impact. Procedure is based on risk focus areas, including Incident level two environment and public health. Minor incidents which relate to statutory requirements Management systems address each of the risk focus areas and/or are of longer duration. and involve: Incident level one > Identifying impacts and regulatory obligations Incidents needing resolution with a minor environmental or public health impact. > Establishing policies to guide activity In determining the level of an incident, factors taken into > Ensuring day-to-day management is satisfactory account include: > Developing improvement plans where required > The degree to which Melbourne Water contributed to > Reporting internally and externally so that information the incident is available for decision making > Whether Melbourne Water had to suspend operations > Auditing and reviewing activities to make sure they are > Whether the incident was within Melbourne Water’s meeting stated objectives. control or influence These systems ensure Melbourne Water is fully aware of its > The severity and duration of the incident. environmental and public health responsibilities, and that these responsibilities are actively managed to ensure There were no Level Three, Four or Five incidents during compliance with all relevant legislation. Where legislation the year, and Melbourne Water reduced Level Two incidents is silent, the Corporation follows the most appropriate from 27 to 8. At the same time, Level One incidents guideline. For example, some parameters have been adopted increased from 69 last year to 75 during 1998/99. from the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. Details of these incidents are provided in the report. In other cases, Melbourne Water has developed its own policies on environment and community obligations. Examples include the No Sewage Spills and Community Relations policies. Incidents Melbourne Water uses a hierarchy of seriousness for reporting incidents. This allows the Corporation to compare incident records from year to year. In the four years the hierarchy has been used, there has not been an incident at the two highest levels: five and four. Melbourne Water responds to some incidents not attributable to its operations; for example pollution of waterways by factories or other businesses. Such incidents are not assigned an incident level. Description of incident levels Incident level five Catastrophic incidents needing resolution which have an irreversible environmental or serious public health impact. Incident level four Major incidents which are serious in nature and of longer duration that result in widespread community concern. 4 MW EnvComObAR1999 for PDF 5/11/99 10:02 AM Page 5 F ULFIL OUR C OMMUNITY O BLIGATIONS Providing High Quality, Safe Drinking Water Key Achievements and Issues for 1998/99 > 12 people were prosecuted for being in closed catchment areas and six cases are pending. > Melbourne Water supplied the metropolitan retail water companies with 489,700 million litres of water. > More than 40,000 tests were carried out on drinking water samples taken from some 140 sites within Melbourne Water’s system including the interface points with the retail system. > The Corporation achieved its target for 99 per cent of the water samples being free of faecal coliform bacteria. > A research project began to determine whether pathogens, such as crytosporidium & giardia, from animals in the water supply catchments, have an impact on drinking water quality. > There were 29 incidents at disinfection plants, most of them caused by power or equipment failure. Arrangements were put in place for back up