Taking care of bacteria at our Altona Treatment Plant

“If the bugs are happy, then I am happy” says Josh Mah, a process engineer at our Altona Treatment Plant. 

A large part of Josh’s job is to make sure that the bacteria, or bugs, at the plant - who are essential for processing wastewater - are thriving. 

Josh continues, “when we take care of them, they (the bugs) take care of us.” The Altona Treatment Plant treats wastewater in a three-step process. As part of this process, bacteria remove solids from the wastewater and eventually create a balanced, healthy ecosystem. 

Josh’s role is to maintain this balance. The ecosystem in the wastewater is created by a variety of different types of bacteria, each with their own unique needs. 

“When we understand the different roles the bacteria play, and the kind of environment each type of bacteria needs, then we know what conditions we need to provide and what we need to avoid.” 

Finding the required balance is difficult and takes patience. There are many things that can interfere with the process, like the weather. 

“Since waste decomposition is entirely a biological process, any intervention to restore balance needs time and patience. I have learnt the hard way that impatient changes create more disturbance. There is a saying at the plant, ‘process takes minutes to tip over, and months to recover’.” 

Despite this, Josh enjoys the many challenges that come with his role and working as part of a team to see results. 

“I enjoy savoring the desired outcomes, as a result of a unified approach and mutual collaboration from the team, especially after much patience and waiting. Seeing how different teams come together to deliver a common goal is part of what motivates me every day to work hard.” 

Josh’s day-to-day work varies, but he always starts with a walk around the site to make sure all systems are working well. 

Last year, Josh hosted members of our community who visited the Plant as part of Open House Melbourne. 

"I feel privileged and honored to share my workplace and the treatment facility with the public, to see it from their perspective and observe their reactions at seeing a treatment facility for the first time. I have always wanted to change the public perception of wastewater, remove the yuck factor and to help our community start “treating” it as a resource rather than just as waste.” 

Josh will be a tour guide again, as the Altona Treatment Plant opens its doors for this year’s Open House event. Spots are limited and tickets have sold out, but you can join the waitlist online.