The facility received its operating licence from the Department of Environment and Conservation in September and this month received its first full load of biosolids.

The two 40 metre by 12m shade cloth covered storage sheds each contain about 640 wet tonnes of biosolids, which is sufficient to be applied to about 16 hectares of agricultural land.

The sheds will be filled, closed up and emptied an estimated six times over the life of the 18-month trial, with each cycle lasting about 10 to 12 weeks.

The trial’s primary purpose will be to gauge the effectiveness of preventing fly emergence from the sheds to the environment.

Monitoring will be conducted by entomologists from the University of Western Australia.

Other factors to be monitored and assessed during the trial include community and social views, odour impacts, leachate control and the facility’s structural durability.

The trial will also provide the Water Corporation with important information to help its future planning for biosolids management.

Business manager wastewater treatment Mark Herbert said the start of the trial was welcome and it had been underpinned by a rigorous statutory approval and community engagement process.

“The development of this trial has been many years in the making and the Water Corporation was very thorough in addressing the social and environmental issues that were raised,” he said.

“Over the next 18 months we aim to run a well-managed trial, which we are confident will help us develop ongoing improvements for the management of this valuable product.”

The Water Corporation plans to arrange a community open day in the near future so people can view the new facility.

In the meantime, images of the loaded trial facility are available for viewing on the Water Corporation website at www.watercorporation.com.au under the wastewater section.