Coliban Water is advising people to avoid direct contact with the water in Campbells Creek downstream of its Castlemaine Water Reclamation Plant.
Executive General Manager Water Quality, David Sheehan, said a plant performance issue has affected the quality of the treated wastewater discharged to Campbells Creek.
“Under our Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria licence we are permitted to release treated wastewater from our Castlemaine Water Reclamation Plant to Campbells Creek,” said Mr Sheehan.
“We have been experiencing solids treatment issues at the plant since July 2018 and have had intermittent issues with our disinfection process at the plant.
“The disinfection issues we are currently experiencing have become more frequent and are having a more significant impact on our treatment process, meaning the quality of water we are releasing to the creek is of a lower quality than normal.
“We are taking the additional precautionary steps to advise the community and downstream creek users to avoid contact with the water in the creek until the treatment issue is resolved and we carry out further assessment of the water quality,” he said.
Mr Sheehan said the risk to human and animal health is low provided people follow this advice. The releases do not pose a risk to aquatic life in the creek and water quality upstream of the discharge point and in the Loddon River is not affected.
“We are working with the EPA and the office of the Chief Veterinary Officer to better understand the risk and we are contacting downstream property owners to understand their water usage from the creek and ongoing water requirements.
“It is still safe to use the tracks along the creek and walk the banks,” said Mr Sheehan.
Improvements to the disinfection process at the Castlemaine Water Reclamation Plant are expected to be completed by Friday 16 November 2018.
The Castlemaine Water Reclamation Plant releases around one gigalitre of treated water per year, around five megalitres a day. In drier months this is often the sole source of water in the creek.
“If residents have any concerns or would like further information they can contact our Customer Support Team on 1300 363 200 or visit our website – www.coliban.com.au,” said Mr Sheehan.
Goulburn-Murray Water and the North Central Catchment Management Authority have also been notified of the issue.
Last updated on 08 Jul 2019