Bunbury Wastewater Treatment Plant
The Bunbury Wastewater Treatment Plant is located on the coast about seven kilometres south of Bunbury behind the foredunes and straddles the boundary between the City of Bunbury and the Shire of Capel.
The planning and development of Bunbury’s modern sewerage system has involved close consultation with local government, key stakeholders and the community since the original Bunbury Wastewater Treatment Plant was constructed in 1963.
In 1992 the Water Corporation initiated the Wastewater 2040 study which involved extensive consultation with the communities from Australind, Eaton and Bunbury to determine the regional strategy for wastewater treatment and disposal.
Since 1994 the Water Corporation has commissioned 11 studies and has consulted widely with the community to develop a long-term strategy for treated wastewater disposal which fulfils community expectations and environmental requirements.
In 1996 a major investigation was undertaken into land disposal and reuse options for the Bunbury region.
Continued consultation is a key factor in ensuring the needs of the local community are met.
Treatment & disposal
The Bunbury Wastewater Treatment Plant treats wastewater from the sewered properties within the City of Bunbury as well as the fast growing Dalyellup in the Shire of Capel.
More than 7ML of wastewater arrives at the plant every day and is treated onsite to remove nutrients.
Until June 2002 disposal of the treated wastewater was by ground infiltration in the surrounding foredune system but this method was environmentally unsustainable and a 1.7 kilometre ocean outlet has been commissioned.
Our future strategy is to use a combination of treated wastewater reuse and ocean disposal.
Eaton and Australind
The sewered areas of the fast growing urban centres of Eaton and Australind, in the Shires of Dardanup and Harvey respectively, are served by an advanced technology wastewater treatment plant located in the buffer zone of the Kemerton Industrial Park.
The $15.5 million Kemerton WWTP which began operations in 2002, produces tertiary quality treated wastewater for reuse on an adjacent 30 hectare mixed species treefarm.
The development of this plant allowed treatments plants at Eaton and Australind to be decommissioned and the land rezoned for other purposes.
Treated wastewater is available for industry within the Kemerton Industrial Park - a major reuse option in the future.
