A Victorian water provider has been fined for discharging wastewater into a river. 

Victoria’s Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) has successfully argued that Coliban Water must pay $150,000 to rehabilitate damage it caused  when it discharged treated wastewater to the Campaspe River.

Coliban Water will put money towards a rehabilitation project for the ecosystem of Snipes Creek, which is a tributary of the Campaspe River, and will also be placed on a two-year bond and pay costs of $10,000 to EPA. 

It comes after Coliban Water pleaded guilty to EPA charges of causing or permitting an environmental hazard and pollution of waters, in breach of its EPA licence in 2019.

The incident impacted dozens of landowners, who had to be warned by the EPA not to use the creek water for stock, domestic or food crops.

Residents reported the presence of a “filthy scum” on the water surface.

EPA CEO Lee Miezis said the Court ruled that Coliban Water should not have allowed the discharge.

“Having pleaded guilty to doing so, it will now pay to help work with the local community to restore Snipes Creek for the benefit of that community,” Mr Miezis said.

“EPA wants local communities to know that we will fight for them in Court, to get them justice and to seek ways to repair the damage that has been done.”

Coliban Water managing director Damian Wells said the company recognises that; “what happened in 2019 was unacceptable, and we are sorry for the impacts we had on downstream landowners, and the environment”.