Trofeo Estate, Dromana Victoria

TROFEO ESTATE IS A FAMILY-OWNED BOUTIQUE WINERY, CELLAR DOOR AND 80-SEAT RESTAURANT, OVERLOOKING 50 ACRES OF SCENIC RURAL VINEYARD AT THE FOOTHILLS OF RED HILL ON THE MORNINGTON PENINSULA.

The business had an existing grease trap and septic system that treated the waste from the kitchens and bathrooms. Unfortunately, the winery waste was also connected in to the septic system, which caused the septic to fail. Septic systems are not designed to treat winery waste and the pomace and organic matter from the grapes had caused blockages in the pipework in the effluent field. By the time Trofeo Estate contacted SSA, they had replaced the effluent field twice and were spending significant funds and resources in regular pump outs of their existing, failed system.

Trofeo Estate initially engaged an environmental engineer to develop a Land Capability Assessment report and had also recorded the existing flows of their system through a series of water flow meters during their peak period over the summer holiday season.SSA was approached to review the existing material and data and to quote on the design and installation of an upgraded wastewater treatment system to rectify the former issues of the wine waste flows entering the system. SSA participated in a competitive quotation process and was chosen based on the team’s significant experience designing and installing commercial systems, as well as its competitive price.

Trofeo Estate restaurant is typically fully-booked over the weekend and is significantly quieter during the week days. Therefore, SSA designed a ‘Secondary Treatment’ system that retained existing infrastructure where possible, including the grease trap; balanced peak loads over 7 days to reduce the overall size of the Aerated Wastewater Treatment System (AWTS); contained sufficient emergency storage in case of power outages; bored under existing beautifully landscaped areas to a new effluent field location – achieving setback distances to dams and local waterways; and importantly separated the wine waste from entering the new AWTS and effluent field.

After balancing the loads over 7 days, the maximum daily flows were under 5,000L per day and therefore, SSA obtained approvals through the local council.

The system design incorporates as much of the existing infrastructure as possible, thereby maximizing cost-savings, and allows significant buffer for peak daily flows. Most importantly it delivers a fully-func- tioning system that is free from blockages now and in the future.