Guidelines for risk assessment of wastewater discharges to waterways

The impact of wastewater discharges to inland and marine water bodies is attracting greater interest, particularly given predictions for a drier climate in the future. Impacts are often exacerbated by drought conditions, with low flows reducing the dilution of discharges. In other cases, the flow from some wastewater discharges can be an important contribution to waterway health, if they are of the right environmental quality and managed well. These issues are driving the need for a more detailed assessment of the impact of wastewater discharges to support future decision - making.

EPA Victoria has developed guidelines that are intended to provide guidance to practitioners conducting wastewater discharge risk assessments (PDF, 784KB). Three pilot applications were conducted during the development of these guidelines and these are included in the document to provide practical examples of the implementation of the risk assessment process for wastewater discharges.

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