What’s behind the tap?
There are 7 key steps involved in the
service cycle for GVW customers.
Step 7—Recycling / Return to Stream
After wastewater has gone through the treatment process at a WMF, it often contains nutrients. GVW
produces around 7,000ML of recycled water from its 26 WMF’s each year, suitable for a variety of
uses including irrigation. Sometimes there is too much recycled water to reuse so it undergoes
further treatment before it is returned to stream.
Irrigating with recycled water
For over 20 years , GVW has used recycled water to irrigate agriculture across the region. The
Corporation uses recycle water to irrigate its own land and sells it to nearby farmers to irrigate their
land. Recycled water is also used to irrigate a number of local golf courses.
Users of recycled water in the Corporation’s region are classified into three categories:

1st party reuse: where the property is owned and managed by GVW.

2nd party reuse: where the property is owned by GVW and managed by someone else.

3rd party reuse: where the property is owned and managed by someone else.
Irrigation Types
The method of irrigation varies from flood, fixed spray, centre pivot and drip irrigation. These water
techniques are used to grow a variety of crops and pastures for sheep, beef and dairy cattle. Maize
and Lucerne is also grown and harvested for stock feed on many properties. At some WMF’s recycled
water is used to irrigate woodlots, some of which end up as highly valuable timber products. There
are five golf clubs within the region that have agreements with the Corporation to irrigate their course
with recycled water.
Sustainable Irrigation
GVW uses sustainable irrigation practices on its own land and that of its reuse customers.
Environmental Improvement Plans, approved by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA), are
developed for each property irrigated with recycled water. Each property is carefully monitored with
regular audits and intensive soil and groundwater sampling programs. This ensures long term
sustainability of the site being irrigated with recycled water and provides valuable information on soil
structure and fertility that is used to enhance farm production. To maximise the use of recycled
water, lagoons have been constructed at WMF’s to contain winter flows that can later be used during
the irrigation season on the available land for irrigation. These improvements have resulted in the full
reuse of recycled water at most GVW facilities.
Further Information
1800 454 500
gvwater.vic.gov.au
What’s behind the tap?
There are 7 key steps involved in the
service cycle for GVW customers.
Step 7 - Recycling / Return to Stream
Tertiary Treatment — Filtration
There are times when land based reuse of recycled water is not possible. Particularly when high
volumes of wastewater enter the WMF and irrigation needs can be met, or if irrigation needs are
being met by rainfall, excess recycled water remains in the lagoons. If this occurs, the recycled water
is further treated via Tertiary Treatment and returned to a local waterway. To enable recycled water to
be returned to stream, GVW uses an Actiflo Clarification Plant for tertiary treatment, where
suspended solids, algae and nutrients (phosphorus) are removed. The Actiflo process is both physical
and chemical, combining coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation and decantation.
Coagulation - a chemical, ferric chloride, is added and solids start to clump together.
Flocculation - mixing occurs and larger clumps form in a maturation tank.
Sedimentation - solids settle to the bottom of the tank using microsand.
Decantation - Treated water is drawn of the top and released to a waterway.
Return to Stream
Recycled water is discharged to a local waterway in a controlled manner, assimilating the waterway’s
natural flow. GVW has an extensive and on-going monitoring program to ensure the protection of river
health and its fauna. There are no visual or odour consequences as water has been thoroughly
treated prior to release and must comply with the requirements of the EPA. In wet years the
opportunity to reuse recycled water for irrigation is reduced. When this occurs increased volumes of
recycled water are returned to stream as environmental flows.
Recycled Water Reuse at GVW
Return to stream
Woodlots
Golf Course
Crops & Grazing
Dairy
Northern
Central
South West
South East
Cobram
Girgarre
Avenel
Alexandra
Nathalia
Kyabram
Broadford
Bonnie Doon
Numurkah
Mooroopna
Euroa
Eildon
Strathmerton
Murchison
Kilmore
Mansfield
Rushworth
Nagambie
Marysville
Shepparton
Seymour
Yea
Stanhope
Violet town
Upper Delatite
Tatura
Further Information
1800 454 500
gvwater.vic.gov.au