Environmental Improvement and Management
We are strengthening our ability to manage impacts through the development of an Environmental Management System, which will have national accreditation. The Environmental Management System supports commitments made in our Environmental Policy which include:
- to sustain Western Australia’s water resources;
- to comply with environmental regulations;
- to prevent pollution; and
- to continually improve the way we do things, including conserving natural resources and ecological processes.
The System provides a robust framework for identifying and managing environmental risks associated with water source development, wastewater discharges and recycling, construction and operations. This includes developing, implementing, monitoring and reviewing environmental objectives and actions.
Busselton Environmental Improvement Initiative
During planning for expansion of the Busselton Wastewater Treatment Plant, there was concern that nutrient loads into Geographe Bay would increase, potentially impacting sensitive seagrass meadows. However, analysis indicated that nutrients from rural areas in the catchment were a greater contributor.
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Geographe Community Nursery
As a result, the Water Corporation developed the Busselton Environmental Improvement Initiative. We worked with the local rural community to reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphorous being discharged to surface and groundwater sources in the Geographe Bay catchment. The initiative was completed over five years and is estimated to have reduced the amount of nitrogen draining into the catchment by 70.5 tonnes and phosphorus by 12.3 tonnes.
The program won several awards, including ‘United Nations Association of Australia World Environment Day Award 2004’, ‘Premier’s Award for Excellence in Public Service Management 2004’, and the Prime Minister’s Gold Award for Excellence in Public Sector Management 2005’.
Click here for further information on this initiative.
This approach is being applied to other catchments (such as Ellen Brook) as an effective means of reducing nutrient loads and pollution in catchments.
Ellen Brook Environmental Sustainability Initiative
The Ellen Brook Catchment contributes one third of the nutrient overload to the Swan River, and this causes algal blooms and fish kills from time to time. The reasons for this excessive nutrient loss to the river are complex, and include clearing of native vegetation for agriculture, application and leaching of artificial fertilisers and soil erosion.
Improvements will require broadly-based, long term corrective measures. CSIRO has recommended reforestation of a large part of the catchment with deep-rooted perennial vegetation.
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Fodder Trees (Tagasaste) | Eucalyptus Grandis (15 years old) |
Water Corporation’s Ellen Brook Environmental Sustainability Initiative will provide owners with cost-sharing initiatives and low interest loans to change their farming practices. The aim is to establish and manage commercially valuable trees, fodder shrubs, and perennial grass pastures. Project sites will be strategically located to intercept nutrients lost through erosion and leaching over a large area of the catchment. In return, the Water Corporation will receive carbon credits generated by the vegetation, which will help it achieve its goal of carbon neutrality by 2030.
Improving drainage water quality through technology
The Water Corporation is undertaking another nutrient reduction curtain trial adjacent to the Mill Street Drain in Kewdale. The trial focus is to investigate both nitrogen and phosphorus removal.
The trial involves placing vertical (curtain) and horizontal (blanket) permeable reactive barriers on or near the drain to reduce the amount of phosphorus and nitrogen entering the drain.
Results to date look promising. Monitoring is planned to continue for the next few years to assess the longer term effectiveness of this type of contaminant reduction approach, including whether this type of treatment is a cost effective method for treating contaminated groundwater entering watercourses including artificial drains.
Biodiesel research and development project
Algae help to treat wastewater, but can also clog wastewater treatment ponds and pipes and impede light penetration. When necessary, algae are filtered out before disposing of the treated wastewater and some algae (especially blue-green algae) require chemical treatment, which can be costly and can impede the wastewater treatment process.
The Water Corporation is investigating the possibility of selectively growing certain types of algae to assist in wastewater treatment, which can also be harvested and turned into a biofuel.