Water Quality Report 2019/20 Water Quality Report 2019/20 Contents Introduction Highlights 1 Foreword from the Managing Director 3 DRINKING WATER QUALITY REPORT 1. Commitment to drinking water management 4 2. Assessment of the drinking water supply system 5 3. Preventative measures for drinking water supply 10 4. Operational procedures and process control 15 5. Verification of drinking water quality 16 6. Incident management and emergency response 22 7. Employee awareness and training 26 8. Community involvement and awareness 28 9. Research and development 30 10. Documentation and reporting 32 11. Evaluation and audit 33 12. Review and continual improvement 34 NON-POTABLE Water supply 35 APPENDICES Appendix 1: Drinking water policy 37 Appendix 2: Regulatory and formal requirements for drinking water 38 Appendix 3: HACCP certification 39 Appendix 4: Water quality compliance results 40 Appendix 5: Source water monitoring 73 GLOSSARY 75 INDEX 77 Introduction About Western Water In 2019/20, Western Water provided drinking water to 72,286 properties across a region of 3,000 square kilometres to the north-west of Melbourne. Property connections to drinking and recycled water increased by 6% this year. Images in this report may have been taken before With an average of 2.6 people per household, coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions were put in place the service region’s population is calculated and may not be compliant with current physical at 183,715 – up from 174,084 reported last distancing rules. financial year. Water Quality Report 2019/20 1 Highlights Manner of establishment • Safely delivered 16,143 million litres of drinking and responsible Minister water to 72,286 properties Established under the Water Act 1989, Western • Increased network by 133km of drinking water Region Water Corporation (trading as Western Water) and recycled water pipework is one of Victoria’s 13 regional urban water corporations. • 26.4% of all drinking water was supplied from The responsible Minister for the reporting period, local reservoirs compared to 22% the year before 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020, was the Hon. Lisa Neville MP, due to good supplies of water available. Minister for Water. Western Water is responsible to the • Fully complied with the requirements of the Minister for Water via the Department of Environment, Safe Drinking Water Act 2003 and the drinking Land, Water and Planning (DELWP). The Department water quality standards specified in the Safe of Treasury and Finance (DTF) also has a shareholder Drinking Water Regulations 2015 (SDWR) across governance role. the distribution network The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) • Continued to develop the Waternamics data sets and supervises water quality standards, while management application to further support the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) governs operational activities environmental standards, particularly for wastewater discharge, recycled water and biosolids management. • Collaborated with other water corporations, local councils, Traditional Owners and the Department The Essential Services Commission (ESC), the Victorian Environment, Land, Water and Planning through Government’s economic regulator for essential utility regional Integrated Water Management Forums services, regulates Western Water’s prices, service standards and market conduct. The Energy and Water • Engaged with thousands of customers in the Ombudsman Victoria (EWOV) receives, investigates and development of Western Water’s Price Submission resolves escalated enquiries and complaints against 2020–23 electricity and water suppliers across Victoria. • Continued collaboration with the Intelligent Water Network, trialling new technologies Drinking water regulations to improve water systems management Western Water is governed by Victoria’s Safe Table 1: Drinking water supply system Drinking Water Act 2003 and SDWR, which provide a comprehensive regulatory framework for the 2018/19 2019/20 provision of drinking water to customers. Connected water customers 68,193 72,286 The framework encompasses a risk-based approach to the • Residential 64,901 68,886 management of drinking water from water catchment to • Non-residential 3,292 3,400 the customer’s tap, with linkages to the Australian Drinking Water consumption (ML) 16,478 16,143 Water Guidelines 2011 (ADWG) where applicable. • Residential (ML) 12,255 12,257 The DHHS Water Unit in the Health Protection Branch is • Non-residential (ML) 2,463 2,421 responsible for administering the regulatory framework. Water losses (ML) 1,760 1,465 Water filtration plants 7 7 Water mains¹ (km) 2,261 2394 ¹ Total includes recycled water mains. 16,143 Million litres of drinking water safely delivered to 72,286 properties 133km Increased network by 133km of drinking water and recycled water pipework 2 Western Water Water Quality Report 2019/20 Service area Service area map Cobaw GOULBURN VALLEY WATER Carlsruhe Lanceeld Lancefield WFP Garden Hut COLIBAN Reservoir WATER Tylden Newham Woodend RWP Marriages WFP Romsey WFP Romsey Woodend Romsey RWP Campaspe Graham Brock Reservoir Reservoir Reservoir C WFP Reservoir C Anderson Reservoir McDonalds Reservoir Hepburn MOUNT Kerrie MACEDON Orde Hill Reservoir Reservoir Shire Council Ashbourne Kitty English Reservoir Willimigongon Reservoir Trentham Frank Mann Reservoir Mount Macedon Bawden Reservoir Monegeetta Pierce Reservoir Forster Reservoir Macedon Wright Reservoir Rosslynne Reservoir Riddells Creek Riddells Creek RWP Blackwood New Gisborne Moorabool Rosslynne WFP Shire Council Bullengarook Gisborne Mitchell Gisborne RWP Shire Council Hume City Council CENTRAL Macedon Ranges HIGHLANDS Shire Council WATER Greendale Sunbury Melton City Council YARRA VALLEY Pykes Creek Djerriwarrh WATER Reservoir Reservoir Sunbury RWP Coimadai Greenvale Myrniong WFP Diggers Rest Reservoir Merrimu Merrimu WFP Bulla Myrniong Reservoir Darley MOUNT KOROROIT MELBOURNE Bacchus AIRPORT Marsh Hopetoun Melton Hillside Rowsley Park Sydenham Melton Reservoir Caroline Bacchus Marsh RWP Rockbank Springs City of Moonee Valley MOUNT MOUNT COTTRELL ATKINSON Melton RWP BARWON Maribyrnong WATER Brimbank City Council City Council Eynesbury City of Greater Geelong Wyndham Hoppers City Council Crossing CITY WEST WATER Victoria Waterway, reservoir or dam Water Filtration Plant Urban growth boundary 0 5 10 15 20 Western Water service area Recycled Water Plant Shire boundaries Scale: Kilometers (km) Water Quality Report 2019/20 3 Foreword from the Managing Director The Western Water service area continues to grow. Committed to drinking In the past year alone, the number of connected properties to drinking water increased by 6%, water quality equating to 4,093 new water connections. Our role Western Water is an efficient, responsive and capable at Western Water is to facilitate this rapid urban growth water utility. This report reflects our commitment to by providing our customers access to reliable, meeting our drinking water quality responsibilities by sustainable and affordable drinking water, both now addressing the twelve elements of the Framework for and into the future. Management of Drinking Water Quality. During 2019/20, Western Water ensured the delivery The 2020 year has presented some unique challenges of safe, quality drinking water to our customers with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic changing and supplied 16,143 million litres of drinking water our work environment as a result of government to a population of almost 185,000. mandated restrictions. Our employees have adapted Underlying our duty to deliver safe, reliable, quality quickly and, throughout the pandemic, they have services, is our commitment to innovative and performed their work professionally and remained sustainable principles. Western Water remains a leader focused on delivering safe, reliable, quality water across in this field. A particularly significant achievement over our service region. I would like to take this opportunity the past year has been securing funding for the Western to thank our water services team for their management Irrigation Network (WIN) project. WIN will connect of the production and supply of drinking water for our farmers in the Parwan-Balliang area near Bacchus customers over the past year. Marsh with a guaranteed supply of recycled water, I am pleased to submit Western Water’s 2019/20 sourced from our wastewater treatment plants Water Quality Report to our customers, stakeholders in Melton, Bacchus Marsh and Sunbury. It’s a great and regulators. achievement for Western Water and demonstrates that our commitment to innovation is yielding improved outcomes for both customers and the communities we serve. Jeff Rigby Managing Director Securing water for the future October 2020 Western Water must be innovative in our approach. Twenty years ago, Western Water was first connected to the Greater Melbourne water supply system, significantly improving our water security for the future. This interface with the Melbourne system has been gradually augmented so that currently, about two thirds of Western Water’s water supply is now sourced from the Melbourne system. This system is in place to provide ongoing water security to our growing service population. We’re also dedicated to exploring and examining other innovative water servicing solutions to deliver the best outcome in the long term for our customers. 6.0% Increase in the number of properties connected to drinking water 4 Western Water Water Quality Report 2019/20 1 Commitment to drinking water management