Gisborne Recycled Water Plant upgrade

Project overview

We’re investing over $55 million in a major project to upgrade the Gisborne Recycled Water Plant (RWP), located at Haywood Drive in Gisborne.

The upgrade involves building a new treatment facility at the existing site to increase the capacity and includes the installation of new energy-efficient technology.

Construction is completed and we’re currently carrying out operational testing. The plant is expected to be operational by mid-2025.

An aerial view of the Gisborne Recycled Water Plant.

Why the project is needed

The Gisborne RWP was built in the early 1980s. It has operated as a vital community asset for over 40 years, treating wastewater from Gisborne, New Gisborne, Macedon and the Mount Macedon regions.

Wastewater at the plant goes through a rigorous treatment process to transform it into Class B recycled water, suitable for a variety of non-drinking purposes.

Since 2014, we’ve been supplying Class B recycled water to local farmers and recreational grounds, so they can water crops and keep grasses green without relying on our precious drinking water.

The recycled water that isn’t used for local irrigation, is released into Jackson’s Creek, following strict guidelines set by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria.

Since Gisborne RWP was first built, the local population has increased steadily and is expected to grow a further 38 per cent by 2035. As the population grows, so does the amount of wastewater that needs treatment.

We need to carry out vital upgrades to the Gisborne RWP to make sure we can keep up with this growth and continue to deliver essential services for the region.

Benefits for Gisborne and the surrounding region

The project benefits include:

• higher quality recycled water, helping to protect the health of local waterways, including Jacksons Creek
• increased treatment capacity, from 1.5 million litres of wastewater per day to 3.65 million litres per day.
• reduced noise and odour from the plant
• 40% reduction in energy use when the plant is operating at the full capacity of the existing plant.

Local impacts of the works

We’re committed to letting local communities know about our works. If you live near the site, we’ll contact you with details of any potential impacts. As the project continues, we’ll keep you updated.

Here’s what you can expect:

• all construction at Gisborne RWP within the plant’s existing boundaries.
• increased trucks, traffic, noise, and dust near the site
• all construction noise to comply with regulations
• potential outages to your recycled water services – we’ll contact you directly if this occurs.

Environmental care, community and cultural heritage

We’re committed to caring for the environment, cultural heritage, and local communities throughout this project by:

• consulting Traditional Owners to ensure the protection of cultural heritage
• collaborating with local residents to minimise local impacts
• ensuring environmental protection through carrying out required approvals
• consulting local communities, council, the EPA, and environmental groups to ensure a broad understanding of stakeholder and community needs
• supporting our commitment to healing and caring for Country by enhancing the quality of recycled water released into our waterways.