Melbourne Water and Werribee Sewage System - Case Study Example

Melbourne Water and Werribee Sewage System Name Professor Course Date Melbourne Water and Werribee Sewage System Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Case Background 2 Problem Statement 3 Aim/Purposes 3 Analysis of Major Issues 4 Major Issues and Context 4 Analyses 5 Contributing Factors 5 Foreseeable Implications 5 Summary of Analysis Outcomes 6 Possible Solutions 7 Solution #1 7 Solution #2 7 Solution #3 7 Recommendations 8 Conclusion 8 References 10 Introduction Case Background Australia is the driest inhabited continents in the world, and among the world’s highest consumers of water resources. Among the OECD countries, the continent is ranked the 4th regarding highest in water use per capita. Melbourne water system and supply are wholly owned by the Victorian State Government that manages the water supply catchments, rivers, sewage, as well as primary drainage systems all through the Port Philip along with Westernport area. Some about 90 percent of Melbourne’s drinking water originates from uninhabited mountain ash forests on the top of the Yarra Ranges located in the east of Melbourne. It is estimated that over 157,000 hectares have been reserved Melbourne for the principal use of harvesting water. The water supply catchments areas in Melbourne have been closed to supply water for now over 100 years. Melbourne water supply is founded on the principle that it is better to begin with the highest quality source of water rather than treating the water to reach the needed standards (Brown & Clarke, 2007). Problem Statement The growing population at Melbourne has been a challenge in Melbourne, which has affected the Werribee suburb. The population needs water, which, in turn, will demand effective sewage system. Melbourne enjoys a world-class sewage system, which is primary to preserving the health of the community, especially the sewage system serving Werribee. The Melbourne water system serves more than 3.5 million people. The sewage systems in Werribee securely collect, as well as transfers sewage to treatment facilities without risking the health of the community or adversely affecting the environment (Rogers et al., 2015). The Melbourne water is charged with the role of harvesting and treatment of water before distributing it for drinking purposes. It is distributed to consumers by retail firms that operate under licenses of the State Government in which the licenses specify the standards of water supply to the residents of Melbourne. Aim/Purposes The aim of the report is to highlight the water needs in Melbourne city because of the growing population. Specifically, there is a growing need of sewage system in Werribee suburb because of the ever-increasing population to improve the health status of the suburb. The report will provide possible recommendations that will be used to advise the Melbourne Water to undertake to improve water situation and sewage system at Werribee. Analysis of Major Issues Major Issues and Context In 2007, the Victorian State Government made some plans and announced a new plan to offer water security for the growing populace in Melbourne and economy through diversifying, as well as enhancing water supplies, connecting the state’s water resources in its grid system. The new plan was also designed to address the rapid along with the flexible response to the ever-changing future water needs of the population (Tan et al., 2015). The plan included A$4.9 billion of projects to safeguard Melbourne and Victorian’s water supplies for long-term purposes. The plan covered the 150 billion litres annually, A $2.2 billion Melbourne desalination plant located at Wonthaggi that is the biggest desalination plant in Australia and it supplies 30 percent of Melbourne’s water requirements. Melbourne Water described Melbourne as one of the only about five cities in the world, which have well-protected water catchments areas in the world. Water from that comes from forest flows through streams into reservoirs that offer security supply during drought periods. One of the main reservoirs is formed by the Thomson Dam located on Thomson River, which is situated 130 kilometres east of Melbourne in Gippsland. From here, the water flows through 19 kilometres long tunnel via the Great Dividing Range to Upper Yarra Reservoir and then proceeds to Silvan Reservoir where they are distributed as drinking water in Melbourne (Van Leeuwen, 2015). About storage at Melbourne, the water rests in the storage reservoirs for nearly five years that aids enhance the quality. Melbourne alone has ten storage reservoirs that are interconnected, making water supply system flexible. The water supply system transfers around the system to manage it in the best manner possible, like moving water out of the storage reservoir so they can fill up in the rainy season, or direct less water treatment plants, which cost more to operate. All through the water supply system, Melbourne water test more than 100m substances to guarantee the quality of water. It makes sure that the water used by residents of Melbourne meets quality and safety needs set by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) and the majority of water supply contracts with retail water firms. Analyses Contributing Factors The sewage system at Werribee was designed because there was no systematic disposal of human waste and other waste in the suburb promoting the state government at Melbourne to intervene. The Melbourne waste challenge because important where the Royal Commission in 1888 crafted a solution to the menace of the waste problem that had affected the city. The most affected suburb in Melbourne was Werribee (Tan et al., 2015). The answer to the problem of sewage was the construction of the sewage system at Werribee, which included a system of pipes, pipes, and sewers, as well as drains, build underground to carry sewage from different homes, hotels and commercial buildings to sewage treatment plant. Foreseeable Implications The sewage system in Werribee utilizes series steps to reach the final destination. Sewage from toilets, laundry, bathroom and kitchen enters the sewage system via a network of underground pipes as shown in the photo. The pipes use the two-way system, where another pipe transports treated sewage to the reservoirs, and another transports untreated sewage taken to treatment plants located in Werribee suburb (Van Leeuwen, 2015). Melbourne Water in which it is subcontracted to retail firms to manage on behalf of the Melbourne Water manages the pipes. The pipes are situated along property borders, roads, and streets and they are normally underground. Trade waste is that waste that is produced by commercial or industrial businesses. The owners of the commercial or industrial businesses will need to seek permission from the Melbourne Water to discharge their trade waste into the sewage system because the wastes are usually contaminated as compared to household waste. Trade waste may have metals, chemicals, fats or detergents, which might increase the risk of environmental damage, as well as the cost of sewage treatment (Cervero, 2001). Summary of Analysis Outcomes Treatment of drinking water is a very important process that Melbourne Water undertakes to guarantee the safety of the water to the consumers. The sewage system is important in the treatment of water, especially in Werribee. Melbourne Water maintains Werribee sewage system because Werribee is a suburb that is located 32 kilometres south-west of Melbourne’s Central Business District (CBD) and it has a population of 37,737 as per 2010 census. Since 1990, the suburb has experienced rapid suburban growth. Werribee sewage system covers a huge area referred the Western Treatment Plant. The sewage system is located in Werribee, which is 10,500-hectare land and is the world leader in environment, as well as technical innovation. The plant processes about half of Melbourne sewages and generates nearly 40 billion litres of recycles water annually. Possible Solutions Solution #1 The pipes and sewage systems should be constantly maintained to ensure that there is a constant flow of sewage. The Melbourne Water should ensure that their staffs regularly inspect the pipes to avoid spills of sewage. This is because some pipes pass through major highways, streets or even places where there are trees. There is increased the capacity of the sewage system to cater growth and upgrading aging infrastructure. In fact, at Werribee, the old pipes are always replaced with new ones to ensure efficiency in the sewage system. Solution #2 The trunk sewers should be designed to slope downwards so that the sewage may use gravity to follow slowly along the pipes. Ultimately, pumping stations bring sewage up to the level of the ground level for treatment purposes, or permit it to precede utilizing gravity through the sewage system (Rogers et al., 2015). This will improve the flow of the sewage system that will make sure that there is no possible blockage in the system (Cervero, 2001). Solution #3 Water catchment areas both in the north and east of Melbourne capture rainfall water and direct to the main storage reservoirs. Therefore, protecting the catchment areas is a solution that must be prioritized by the Melbourne Water and other environmental agencies to increase the amount of water. The majority of the drinking water originates from protected catchments with restricted public access; therefore, the water is safe from contamination and of very high quality. While the catchment areas are the principal source of drinking water, during the times of critical needs, Melbourne water has supply alternative from the Victorian Desalination Plant, as well as North-South Pipeline. Recommendations There is the need to involve qualified staff to ensure that there is effective management of the sewage system in Werribee. Melbourne Water should train and educate staff on modern methods of managing the sewage system to increase the efficiency of services to be enjoyed by the growing population at Werribee. The growing population implies that there is the need to develop more capacity through effective staff that will monitor the sewage system. Also, environmental protection is important in making sure that the problem of pollution is minimized by investing in energy production. Furthermore, then Melbourne Water’s Western Treatment Plant located in Werribee has been instrumental in producing biogas power. The plant is the largest power station in the southern hemisphere. The plant in Werribee generates about 50,000-megawatt hours of renewable energy yearly. The state government should inject more funds on this project to increase its capacity so it can produce more energy, thus reducing environmental pollution that might affect the community. If the environmental effect of these pollutants is going to be lowered in the long-run, then more Australian families, industries, and businesses should buy accredited Green Power to fund the long-term development of clean, renewable energy. This will lead to improved standards of living of the people living in Werribee and has improved environmental sustainability substantially (Cervero, 2001). Conclusion It is clear that Werribee is a suburb that is served by Melbourne Water where it has an effective sewage system that ensures that hygiene is well-maintained and effective at all times. The sewage system at Melbourne that covers Werribee is one of the efficient systems not only in Australia but also in the world. The water needs of the residents at Melbourne have grown in that last two decades because of the increasing population. The growing populace of Werribee of more than 37,700 prompted the authorities to undertake initiatives to develop an effective water and sewage system to address this need. References Brown, R.R. and Clarke, J.M., 2007. Transition to water sensitive urban design: The story of Melbourne, Australia (Vol. 7, No. 1). Melbourne: Facility for Advancing Water Biofiltration, Monash University. Cervero, Robert, B. (2001). The Transit Metropolis: A Global Inquiry. Chicago: Island Press. p. 320. Rogers, B.C., Brown, R.R., de Haan, F.J. and Deletic, A., 2015. Analysis of institutional work on innovation trajectories in water infrastructure systems of Melbourne, Australia. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 15, pp.42-64. Tan, K.S., Nathan, R., Brown, R., Chan, H., Rhodes, B. and Haydon, S., (2015). Rapid assessment of forest fire impacts on streamflow for Melbourne. In 36th Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium: The art and science of water (p. 478). Engineers Australia. Van Leeuwen, C.J., 2015. Water governance and the quality of water services in the city of Melbourne. Urban Water Journal, pp.1-8. Read More