Review of the recycled water guidelines – red tape reduction

VicWater hosted an online briefing on the revised recycled water guidelines on 30 March. The briefing pre-empts the public consultation phase of the review, which will occur in the coming months. VicWater will coordinate a water industry submission during the public consultation period.

VicWater and Yarra Valley Water played a significant role in the instigation of this review and have represented the industry on the Recycled Water Guidelines Review Working Group since mid-2018. The review will deliver significant red tape reduction for water corporations operating recycled water schemes, including:

• Health and Environmental Management Plans (HEMP) amendments will require no regulatory approval
• Minor changes to scheme operations will require no regulatory approval
• Plant disruptions that do not affect water supply require no notification
• Additional of a treatment plant to an existing scheme, under the same HEMP, requires a notification only
• A much clearer regulatory roles and processes sit exclusively with the EPA, rather than across both EPA and DHHS.