Water from the Victorian Desalination Project will complement the high quality of Melbourne’s catchment supplies.

The water quality parameters were developed by the water authorities to complement the high quality of water that Melbourne consumers have come to expect as well as their user's needs. The Department of Health was also consulted regarding water quality requirements. These parameters were utilised in the contract process run by the Department of Sustainability and Environment's (DSE) Capital Projects team and are captured in the contract with AquaSure. One of these parameters is boron levels.

To produce water, the salt and minerals from seawater are removed by two passes through reverse osmosis membranes at the plant site.

The resulting water is very pure, like rainwater or distilled water.

The water is then remineralised by adding lime and CO2, so it contains similar minerals to the catchment supplies.

Water quality standards are met at the plant site, so there is no need for blending with catchment water to achieve water quality requirements.

Water quality is measured before the water leaves the plant site and also at the delivery points along the transfer pipeline with online monitoring conducted by AquaSure, DSE and water authorities.

Boron levels for the Victorian Desalination Project are required to meet the target specification of less than or equal to 0.5 mg/L at all times, which is one eighth of the Australian Drinking Water Guideline requirements of 4mg per litre and one fifth of the World Health Organisation level of 2.4 mg/L. The ADWG states that “based on human health considerations, the concentration of boron in drinking water should not exceed 4mg/l.”

According to the ADWG, boron is present naturally in many food products, with high amounts found in foods of plant origin, especially fruits, leafy vegetables, nuts and legumes.