Thursday, 22 June 2023

Kyneton water reclamation plant

Wendy LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (17:52): (321) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Water, and it concerns the current operating infrastructure of the Kyneton water reclamation plant. The action that I seek is for the minister to provide appropriate funding to Coliban Water to complete a full upgrade of the Kyneton water reclamation plant so that the plant has the modern infrastructure needed to adequately cope with the current and future service demand of this growing township and region. The Kyneton reclamation plant is operated by Coliban Water and treats wastewater from approximately 3800 connections in Kyneton, Malmsbury, Trentham and Tylden. The plant collects wastewater from 13 pump stations and a sewer network comprising 80 kilometres of gravity mains and 11 kilometres of rising mains. The sewer network also collects wastewater from the Kyneton industrial estate, which includes a local abattoir and saleyards.

In 2019 Coliban Water was charged by the Environment Protection Authority Victoria with breaches stemming from the operation of the Kyneton water reclamation plant. The breaches involved the release of highly polluted wastewater into the Campaspe River, and upon conviction Coliban Water was ordered to pay $150,000 for restoration work on the river. In the wake of the charges Coliban Water completed an upgrade to the plant to ensure such pollution of the Campaspe River and its tributaries is not repeated, but there is widespread concern in the community that the works will not prevent further pollution.

I was recently contacted by a member of the Keep Kyneton Country group, who stated that, despite the upgrade, the infrastructure at the Kyneton water reclamation plant remains antiquated and inadequate to deliver its core services. The above-average rainfall in the region means that the newly constructed storage ponds will be regularly at capacity, meaning more treated water will need to be released into the Campaspe River. It has been reported to me that in October 2022 sewage water came up through the street drains of Kyneton and Malmsbury, also because the storage ponds at the plant were at capacity. The Kyneton township is in a high-growth area, and the community is concerned the current infrastructure, even after the upgrade, will not cope with the growing service demand. The only action to ensure the health of the Campaspe River is to undergo a complete redevelopment of the Kyneton water reclamation plant, and I call on the minister to provide funding to support this action.