Water security has long defined life in Australia. Droughts, shifting rainfall and rapid population growth have combined to put mounting pressure on the systems that deliver safe water to communities. Traditional conservation measures, such as backyard tanks or short-term restrictions, are no longer sufficient to meet the scale of the challenge. The Victorian Advanced Greywater Recycling System trial, launched recently in Geelong, highlights a new approach: technology and collaboration working together to secure every drop.
Announced as a $220,000 innovation project by the Victorian Government, the pilot demonstrates more than a technical upgrade. It is an example of how utilities, governments, TAFEs, and technology providers can reimagine the way water is valued, reused, and integrated into community life.
The launch also brought together community leaders, including Jo Plummer, Chair of Barwon Water, whose organisation has long been recognised for championing forward-thinking approaches to water security in the region.
A new generation of greywater
At the heart of the trial is Hydraloop, a technology developed in the Netherlands and now installed in Victoria for the first time. Hydraloop captures greywater from showers, baths and bathroom sinks, then treats it entirely within the unit. Unlike traditional systems that rely on underground tanks and bulky infrastructure, the unit is compact, approximately the size of a refrigerator, and can be retrofitted into existing homes provided the plumbing infrastructure is accessible.
Inside the casing, six processes work together: sedimentation, flotation, biological treatment, foam fractionation, dissolved air flotation and UV disinfection. These treatments remove impurities and pathogens, leaving water suitable for non-potable uses such as toilet flushing, clothes washing and garden irrigation. The system is IoT-enabled, allowing performance to be monitored and adjusted remotely.
According to the Victorian Government, this initiative represents the first advanced greywater system available in Australia. If performance matches expectations, households and businesses could cut water use by up to 40 per cent.
Jason Cotton, Program Director of Intelligent Water Networks, told the launch audience,
“This technology has the potential to transform water use and contribute to Victoria’s water security,” he said. “It is unobtrusive, retrofittable, and delivers high-quality recycled water for everyday needs.”
Seven mixed-sized units are being trialled across different contexts.
At Gordon TAFE in Geelong, a purpose-built bathroom and laundry showcase the system for informative tours hosted by Barwon Water to build knowledge of the technology.
Barwon Water is also overseeing three installations at two caravan parks along the Surf Coast and Great Ocean Road, including Australia’s first large-sized unit at the Torquay Foreshore Caravan Park.
Greater Western Water is managing Victoria’s first in-home deployment, and South East Water is currently liaising with local government to find suitable trial sites in its service area.
Together, these sites will generate data on both commercial and domestic viability.
Skills for the future
Water innovation is not just about machines but about people. The Geelong launch reflected this by placing education and workforce skills development at the centre of the program.
Gordon TAFE now hosts one of the trial units, providing apprentices and students with direct access to the inner workings of a live, world-leading greywater recycling technology. This is the first future training site of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.
Joe Ormeno, CEO of Gordon TAFE, explained why this matters.
“Practical water reuse like this eases pressure on drinking water, supports liveability, and lifts sustainability performance across new projects and retrofits,” he said.
“Shoulder to shoulder with industry and government, we’re solving real problems.”
For plumbers and technicians, hands-on training with Hydraloop units builds expertise in installation, operation and maintenance.
Cotton noted that staff at Barwon Asset Solutions have become the first accredited installers and maintainers of the new system in Australia. By extending these skills through TAFE partnerships, the sector is preparing for a future where advanced water recycling is not a niche project but a mainstream requirement.
Minister for Water and Skills, Gayle Tierney, highlighted the significance of linking her two portfolios within the trial.
“This trial shows Victoria’s water sector embracing new ideas and working with our TAFEs to build the technology and skills needed for the future,” she said.
The challenge of water security
The urgency behind the trial is apparent. In Geelong, storage levels have dropped about 40 per cent, almost a quarter lower than at the same time last year. Without the Melbourne to Geelong pipeline, the city would already be under water restrictions.
Tierney pointed to climate change and population growth as twin pressures reshaping the sector.
“Every litre we recycle is one less taken from rivers and reservoirs,” she said.
“As rainfall continues to decline, projects like this are not optional. They are critical to securing supply for households and businesses.”
Her remarks followed a recent meeting of the State’s drought task force, where utilities and regulators gathered to assess the challenges across Victoria. The picture presented was consistent: declining inflows to reservoirs, more variable rainfall, and growing demand in regional centres. For Geelong, where storage is already under strain, the stakes are particularly high.
Water security cannot be separated from broader climate risks. Plummer, who also serves as the Chair of Victoria’s Country Fire Authority (CFA), observed drying conditions not only affect supply but bring forward the bushfire season, creating compound risks for communities. In this sense, saving water is about more than maintaining household taps; it is part of building regional resilience against multiple hazards.
Household action also plays a role. Alongside the trial, the Victorian Government has reminded residents of simple behaviours such as taking shorter showers, fixing leaks, washing with full loads, watering gardens in cooler parts of the day and following Permanent Water Saving Rules. These measures, combined with climate-resilient innovations that incorporate circular economy principles, such as Hydraloop, form a portfolio approach to securing water for the long term.
Member for Geelong, Christine Couzens, linked the trial to broader community values, including Victoria’s progress toward Treaty with First Nations people. She reminded the audience that water carries deep cultural and spiritual significance, and new approaches must respect that heritage.
“This is a great initiative for Geelong, giving Victorians more practical ways to save water and household waste”.
Collaboration as DNA
One of the strongest themes of the launch was collaboration. Cotton called it the “DNA of innovation”. The project brings together Barwon Water, Intelligent Water Networks, Gordon TAFE, Greater Western Water, South East Water, the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, and Hydraloop Australia.
Partnership has extended beyond the core organisations.
The Great Ocean Road Parks Authority and Big 4 Apollo Bay have been instrumental in securing the trial sites. Hansgrohe supplied bathroom fittings for the Gordon TAFE demonstration site, while REEFE provided the lift pump, and Barwon Asset Solutions provided the installation expertise. Such contributions underline how multi-layered cooperation enables ambitious trials.
“We have a superpower, and that is working together,” Plummer said.
“From local organisations to international partners, everyone has a role in this value chain. That collaboration is what makes innovation possible.”
The greywater trial is also a window into Intelligent Water Networks’ broader role. As a program of VicWater and a collective of all Victorian urban water corporations, TasWater and the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, IWN acts as a catalyst for innovation across the sector. More than 50 active projects are currently underway, ranging from digital metering and pressure transient management to leak detection, biochar production from biosolids and the integration of renewable energy at treatment plants. By coordinating expertise from different utilities, IWN reduces duplication, shares lessons quickly and ensures new ideas are tested under real operating conditions.
This networked model has already accelerated projects beyond greywater. Recent collaborations have explored how smart sensors can improve network resilience, how artificial intelligence can support predictive maintenance and how regional utilities can pool resources to trial emerging treatment processes. Each project adds to a culture where innovation is not siloed but shared, creating a foundation for system-wide improvements in water efficiency, safety and sustainability.
Plummer also connected water management to fire preparedness. In her role with the CFA, she noted that drying conditions are increasing bushfire risks, and that smart water savings are crucial to managing both landscapes and taps.
Scaling from pilot to policy
While the greywater units are modest in size, the trial aims to influence policy and practice across the state. Reliable data from caravan parks, TAFE facilities and households will inform regulators about safety, consistency and cost.
Tierney acknowledged the need to adapt regulatory frameworks and training pathways but described the project as “highly relevant” to the challenges Victoria faces.
“It forces us to think outside the box,” she said. “It challenges regulators, trainers and industry alike. That stretch is where growth happens.”
The pilot sits in a broader policy context. The Premier’s Drought Taskforce is shaping resilience strategies, while the Water Minister’s Climate Innovation Challenge is encouraging new proposals from Victorian water authorities in partnership with industry and community groups.
Now reviewing entries, the Climate Innovation Challenge seeks projects that directly address the realities of climate change, including reduced inflows and rising demand, as well as energy use and emissions.
Greywater recycling is the kind of innovation that embodies its intent: practical, collaborative and designed to deliver measurable benefits for households and businesses. By linking this trial with broader initiatives, the sector is signalling that climate adaptation will require not only centralised infrastructure but also distributed solutions that change how water is used at the source.
Building trust through community benefit
Water projects succeed not only through engineering but through public confidence.
By placing Hydraloop units in visible locations, such as Gordon TAFE, caravan parks, and homes with forward-thinking trial partners that are seeking new ways to become more sustainable with their water use, the trial demonstrates to communities what recycled water looks like in practice and why greywater should be valued as a valuable resource. Residents can see its safety and benefits for themselves.
Couzens emphasised the value of this transparency. “It shows how collaborations with educational institutions bring real benefits to communities. People can see the technology in action and know that it supports sustainability where they live.”
The Hydraloop trial does not replace the habits of residents but is designed to complement them, demonstrating how individual responsibility and systemic innovation must work in tandem to achieve effective results.
Looking ahead
The Victorian Advanced Greywater Recycling System trial is still in its early stages, with performance results to come over the next year. But the atmosphere at its launch suggested a sector ready to act. Engineers, policymakers, trainers, and community leaders all emphasised the same point: water security requires new thinking, collective action, and more options.
The project will be judged not only on the litres saved, but also on how it shifts regulatory frameworks, workforce capabilities, and community expectations. If successful, it could redefine greywater recycling in homes and businesses across Australia.
Cotton closed the launch with words that captured both the urgency and the optimism: “These challenges are unprecedented, and they cannot be solved with existing mindsets. We need new ways of thinking and new ways of working together. That is exactly what this project represents.”