Our environment

We provide both an essential service and have a key role in managing the water cycle to support community health and protect the environment.

With an eye to the future our Environment Policy commits us to care for and where possible, enhance the environment.

A strong commitment to protect the environment is reflected in our environmental management system. Improved environmental performance can be achieved in a manner that satisfies customers’ expectations for community benefit and affordable services.

Reducing the resources we require to deliver our services and leveraging innovative technologies are key elements to achieving these requirements.

We hold certification to the international environmental standard ISO14001:2015.*

We continually strive to minimise business impacts on the environment. Consulting with our community on their expectations on our environmental performance, we developed our latest Environmental Sustainability Plan (ESP 5).

The plan contains a range of targets, aligning to our Corporate Strategy and reflecting our environmental risks and customers’ expectations.

 

Environmental Sustainability Plan (ESP 5) 2019 – 2020

Objective  Our 2020 Targets 
 Ensure safe & secure management of wastewater
  • Be 100% compliant with the licence conditions of our Altona Treatment Plant
  • Beneficially re-use 100% of our biosolids
  • Deliver 7 stormwater harvesting projects
Responsibly manage the resource intensity of the services we deliver
  • Have reduced our GHG emissions by 3% relative to our 2011-2016 baseline of 12,401tCO2-e
  • Divert 60% of our head office waste from landfill
  • Divert 60% of field waste at Brooklyn depot from landfill each year
 Optimise environmental performance of our contractors
  • Pilot the Infrastructure Sustainability Council Australia (ISCA) rating tool
  • Complete 10 environmental audits per year on our capital works program
Improve outcomes for the environment in which we operate
  • Deliver on our Climate Resilience Strategy which will position us as leaders in climate adaptation
  • Deliver on our Biodiversity Action Plan which will position us as leaders in climate adaptation

 

To meet the targets and objectives outlined, we are delivering a range of projects including:

  • Pilot sewer heat recovery technology
  • Obtain 30% renewable energy via the VicWater Large Scale Renewable Energy Project
  • Support the Greening the Pipeline project through the promotion of  integrated water management opportunities
  • Develop partnerships with the government agencies and community groups to create and protect habitat corridors
  • Establish a stormwater fund to support local governments in delivering local stormwater schemes.

 

* The scope of the City West Water’s Certified Environmental Management System covers the following activities:

  • Treatment of wastewater at our Altona Treatment Plant (Including operations at Altona Salt Reduction Plant)
  • Trade waste Operations
  • Depot Operations at Brooklyn and West Melbourne
  • Maintenance of City West Water owned and operated assets (Linear)
  • Water and Sewer Operations
  • Stormwater Harvesting Sites
  • Land Management Activities
  • At present, West Wyndham Dual Supply Scheme operational activities (Including Aquifer Storage and Recovery) is not covered in certified Environmental Management Systems as plant is not fully operational.

 

For any further information, please contact City West Water's Environment team via the Contact Centre on 131 692.

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City West Water respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands and waters upon which we work and operate. We pay our deepest respects to the traditional custodians past, present and future.