Transcript for Desalination workplace interview

[Speaker: Zoe Burrows]

Hi, my name's Zoe Burrows. I'm a site operator here at the Victorian Desalination Plant and I've been working here for about 5 years.

Can you tell us about working at the Victorian Desalination Plant?

So, what interests me most about the desalination plant is that it's such a big project and there's a lot of different technical aspects to the plant that in operations you get to learn and I'm really big on learning. So, that was something that really interested me. And also, it's always close to the ocean and I'm a bit of an ocean lover, so it's a really good environment to work in as well.

The desalination plant here in Wonthaggi is actually the biggest desalination plant in the southern hemisphere, so it's quite a large project. We take salt water from the ocean right here on the coast and it goes through multiple filtration processes before we send it up to Cardinia Reservoir for people to drink.

My main responsibilities as a site operator vary between chemical management, sampling, management of permits. We also do extensive lock-out tag-out so our mechanical and electrical team can work on large parts of the plant safely. Sampling is super important. Every morning when the plant is running, our operators go out to every single part of the plant and we take samples and we pull these back into the lab for the lab technicians to test. And we have to be within certain parameters so that the water's safe for drinking.

Why is the Desalination Plant important for Victoria?

The desalination plant is important for Victoria's water future because Australia is very prone to drought. I'm not sure if you remember, but we did go through severe drought and water restrictions. So, the desalination plant is here as a safety net for Victoria's water supply here at the desalination plant. Some years we might produce about 180 fifty-meter swimming pools per day, which is quite a lot, but it can change depending on how much rain we've had. So, some years we might do quite a bit more. So, it just depends on how much rainfall we've had.

Who else works at the plant?

The professionals that I work with are lab technicians. I work with project engineers, mechanical fitters, electrical technicians, or sparkies as we call them. We also work with lots of different managers, contract and compliance. It takes the whole team to provide fresh drinking water to Victoria.

What is the technical process for desalination?

We are in the reverse osmosis building at the moment. As you can see, we have lots of white vessels that contain seven membranes per vessel and the salt water is actually pumped through these vessels at really high pressure through the membrane and the salt ions are left behind and then it goes through a couple more chemical processes before it's sent to Victorians.

We use a lot of different technologies here at the desalination plant. In operations, we use a lot of heavy machinery. We also use underwater drones that go in and clean tanks. Also, they view things that we might not be able to see and we also get to use things like GoPros as well, which is also really fun.

Why do you love working at the Victorian Desalination Plant?

I think the best part about this job is the variety in the job. I come to work, not sure what I'm going to do each day. It's always different, which is really good. When I was studying at university, I got a job down here for two weeks as a trade assistant to a fitter and I realised how much I really liked the job and had the opportunity to become a site operator. And through being in site operations, they actually put me through my certificate three in water treatment and operations, which was really good. And I finished my uni degree while I was at work and haven't looked back since.

I don't think there's a lot of information about the water industry in general, so I didn't know much about it until I tried it. So, I definitely think if you are interested in working inside and outside and in a really good environment with lots of technical aspects and you like to learn, then it's a really good place to work. And I also get to go for a surf after work because I work at the desalination plant, which is right next to the ocean. So, there's a couple of perks as well.