Policy Update – May 2023

Carbon Offsets project

Phase Three of the Carbon Offsets project is now completed and the report has been delivered to Managing Directors. The report’s recommendations include a proposed delivery vehicle to meet the Victorian water sector’s collective demand for carbon offsets, and next steps for approaching the carbon offsets market on behalf of the sector in a ‘proof of concept’ phase.

Many thanks to members of the steering group and technical reference group who have generously contributed their time and expertise to the project, especially those who have been involved since the project commenced in early 2022.

Water operations training project

The shortage of water operations training providers is a national problem. VicWater has secured the support of the Victorian Skills Authority (VSA) to investigate options for improving access to water operations training in Victoria. A working group of water corporation representatives will hold their first meeting this month and the project is expected to run through to November 2023.

Practical guidance documents to support the implementation of EPA revised guideline for water recycling

Our consultant, Water Futures, has been undertaking site visits to view a number of Class B and Class C recycled water schemes to inform the case studies for the guidance documents. They will also be shadowing recycled water scheme auditors to get a better understanding of how the guidance documents are used in the field. The project is expected to be completed by the end of June 2023.