Agriculture
Sheep grazing commenced in 1899 and cattle grazing in 1902 to deal with the permanent supply of lush pasture produced by the land filtration method formerly used to treat sewage.
Following the major upgrade of the Plant in 2004, large tracts of farming land and dozens of old ponds were no longer needed for sewage treatment, opening up opportunities for alternative farming operations.
Melbourne Water has selected Victorian company MPH Agriculture Pty Ltd. as its preferred partner to co-manage the century-old farming operation at the Western Treatment Plant. Farming is not a part of Melbourne Water's core business so it makes sense to engage an agribusiness to take the farm into a new era.
A two year contract was signed with MPH in April 2010. Under the contract MPH is taking responsibility for the operation of the Werribee Agriculture Group (WAG) prior to entering into a twenty year lease agreement.
We will work collaboratively with MPH to enable a greater understanding of the site and determine the business plan best suited to the long term sustainable management of the farm, consistent with the Western Treatment Plant Land Use Strategy.
The arrangement gives us the flexibility to continue the plant’s important sewage treatment role, with the land still required as a buffer around sewage treatment operations to adjacent landholders.
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