Odour update - During the last month we’ve completed some of the recommendations received from an odour expert to minimise odour at our Bendigo Water Reclamation Plant.

This work has focused on three improvements to our biofilter.

The first was to ‘top up’ the mulch, which sits on top of the biofilter.

The second was to increase irrigation, and as a result we have established a new irrigation system.

The third improvement was to ‘fluff up’ the top layer of mulch, which helps to minimise odour.

We’ll continue to work through the remainder of the recommendations.

We’ve also completed some sealing works, which help prevent odour from escaping. These works are varied and ongoing, over the next three months.

Upcoming works - We continue to plan for smoke testing of our ventilation pipework. This means by using smoke we can identify how the air moves through our pipes, and identify areas for improvement.

We’ll also be installing a better way to capture ‘rags’ – which refers to items that come through our wastewater system which should not be there. Remember the three Ps – only flush Pee, Poo and Paper down your toilet. This improved system will use a special type of bag to help lock in odour.

Planning for major work on our Autothermal Thermophilic Aerobic Digestion system (ATAD system) is progressing, with works due to start before the end of 2024. This will include cleaning, inspection and refurbishment works, and should help reduce odour in this part of the treatment process.

Learn more about how we manage odour at our plant here (under the Phase One tab of our website).

We encourage you to call us on 1300 363 200 to report odour. The more we receive these reports, the more we can build a picture of the areas of our plant that need the most urgent attention.

Our next update will be on Wednesday 6 November 2024.