Cade Lucas
A desalination plant in Werribee South is one of the solutions being considered by local food producers frustrated by the quality of recycled water they receive for irrigation.
Fresh Select Australia Pty Ltd co-owners Adam Ballan and John Said have criticised the quality of recycled water they’re delivered to grow cauliflower, broccoli and lettuce.
Fresh Select are among the Werribee South producers recently connected to a new pipe system that delivers irrigation water underground.
Adam Ballan said now that the water infrastructure has improved, the quality of the water should be next.
“The reality is the quality of water we’re getting is not as good as we’d like it to be,” Mr Ballan said.
“For the sustainability of farming we need to get the water quality right.”
Melbourne Water has been supplying recycled water from the Western Treatment Plant to farmers in Werribee South, since 2005.
The water is regulated by the EPA to ensure it meets quality standards and there is no suggestion that it is unsafe.
However, Mr Ballan said the low quality of the water made farming more expensive.
“Because it’s high in salt, it definitely makes it harder to grow vegetables.
Our costs go up a lot because we’ve got to use different fertilisers in order to counter it,” he said.
“You notice a difference when we have a rain event or when we’re using river water only. The crops respond better.”
In a statement, a Melbourne Water spokesperson defended the quality of its recycled water.
“Melbourne Water supplies Class A recycled water to Southern Rural Water from our Western Treatment Plant.
The quality of this water meets all of the regulatory requirements to ensure it is suitable for its intended end use.”
Fresh Select co-owner John Said said a privately funded, small-scale desalination plant was one of the solutions being considered.
“The solution is a modernised water infrastructure that depends on desalination technology, bringing the water to a better quality and more reliably available” said Mr Said, adding that
it would also help protect Werribee South producers from drought and climate change.
However, he cautioned that any desalination plant would be someway off and was just one of a number of possible solutions.
“All technologies are on the table at this point.
If there’s better technology by all means we’re up for it.”
