Gemmill J, Fischer A, Rohmana QA (2021). Towards a national outfall standard and guidelines for reporting wastewater treatment plant outfall data. Report to the National Environmental Science Program, Marine Biodiversity Hub. Clean Ocean Foundation and University of Tasmania.
Overview
This report primarily targets water authorities and state/territory-based environmental protection agencies. It provides a pathway forward for establishing a national standard for reporting outfall wastewater treatment plant data. Key findings from our survey of water treatment authorities (WTAs) are: (1) the majority of WTAs agreed on participating in further discussions to develop standards, (2) WTAs supported the concept of annual reporting used for the National Outfall Database (NOD), and (3) WTAs are willing to collaborate to develop outfall report cards. The pathway forward is to establish a consultative process with key stakeholders to develop and implement the second phase of the NOD. Establishing a network of key stakeholders in the national wastewater sector will be important for developing a national reporting standard.
