Dirt and clay dumped in Castlemaine’s sewer network
A significant amount of dirt and clay has been received at the Castlemaine Water Reclamation Plant, which is placing unnecessary stress on the plant’s treatment processes.
Coliban Water General Manager Operations Julian Bull said it was disappointing that illegal dumping activity was taking place.
“This mud, dirt and clay is also known as ‘hydro-waste’. This is any water-based waste that is not from domestic households.”
Businesses planning to discharge waste to the sewer network must have a trade waste agreement with Coliban Water.
“These agreements include information about the business, and the types and volumes of waste approved for discharge into Coliban Water’s network,” Mr Bull said.
“This is exactly why we regulate commercial and trade waste - to prevent damage to our infrastructure, prevent unwanted disruptions to our sewerage treatment processes and to minimise any flow-on effects to the environment.
“The hydro-waste we have detected in the sewer network is a clay-type substance that is hard to separate through the sewerage treatment process used at Castlemaine. It can have an impact on the quality of wastewater produced at the plant.”
In some instances, hydro-waste can overload sewer systems and lead to sewer spills.
“Our operators are making adjustments at the plant in an effort to cope with this incoming material. It is placing extra stress on our plant and we are investigating the source of the dumping.
“The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria is also helping us look into this matter. We encourage anyone with information about this to speak with us or report this directly to EPA on 1300 EPA VIC,” Mr Bull said.
Customers are reminded that only the three Ps can be flushed; pee, poo and toilet paper.
Household grease, oils and fats should be disposed of in the bin, not in the sewer network.
“Tissues, wet wipes and paper towels are made from a robust weave, and do not disintegrate easily in the sewer network,” Mr Bull said.
“They can block sewer pipes and, in some cases, contribute to the creation of ‘fatbergs’.”
Anyone with information on this illegal dumping can phone 1300 363 200 or email coliban@coliban.com.au
More information on how to protect our sewer network can be found online at coliban.com.au/help-advice/what-can-go-down-drain