We have begun a process with EPA to amend our licence.

Our Licence Amendment was submitted to the EPA in March 2022 and accepted by EPA on 11 May 2022.

This marked the commencement of the statutory process through which EPA will consider how the Kyneton WRP is regulated into the future.

EPA has advised that the Kyneton WRP will continue to be regulated against the current licence until the licence amendment application has been accepted and a decision on the amendment has been made by EPA.

A major outcome of the Kyneton Solutions Project is the WRP will no longer need to undertake blended water releases to the Campaspe River. The only water that will be released to the river, under normal operating conditions, will have been treated by the onsite Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) process.

This commitment is reflected in our Licence Amendment and is dependent on the completion of the Kyneton Solutions Project.

The BNR process produces a high-quality treated water (tertiary treated) that is considered equivalent in quality to Class B recycled water, which can be put to a range of beneficial uses such as irrigation.

The improvement in the quality of the water when released will result in:

• at least a 50% reduction in the annual load of total nitrogen going to the river
• at least a 95% reduction in the annual load of total phosphorus going to the river
• an improvement in pathogen management through the installation of an upgraded UV disinfection system.

The environmental offsets for both total nitrogen and total phosphorus are modelled as being greater than 100% of any nitrogen and phosphorus released to the river.

A change in the dilution ratio for the release of treated water to the river will shift the ratio from up to 20% for passing river flow to up to 66.7% of passing river flow.

The gauging station, where river flow is measured, will no longer be taken at Redesdale but at the gauging station on the Campaspe River in Kyneton. This is 1 kilometre upstream of the release point at Wards Lane.

The quality of water that will be released to the river is now exactly the same as the Class B water that is used to irrigate the Kyneton Racecourse, Kyneton Botanic Gardens and various sporting ovals across the Kyneton township.

The improvement in the quality of water released is complemented by the Kyneton Environmental Offsets Project. This is a long-term investment to improve the river health of the Campaspe River.

You can find out more about the Kyneton Environmental Offsets Project here.

In November 2021, the Board of Coliban Water endorsed an updated Environment and Sustainability Policy Statement which sets a new direction with respect to both environmental stewardship and environmental performance.

The desired outcomes of the Policy Statement are reflected in the licence amendment application with Coliban Water’s commitment that the amended release licence for the plant will be protective of, and likely improve, river health and be protective of downstream beneficial uses.

The Kyneton WRP Licence Amendment was available for public feedback until the 19 August 2022.

You were able to provide feedback in two ways - via Connect Coliban or on email. We also held a Community Drop In Session in August.

The feedback received will be provided to the EPA and considered as part of their licence assessment process.