Water and sewage treatment plants in a coastal Queensland community will be receiving a major upgrade, with $7 million in joint funding anticipated for the project.
At its 24 January meeting, Fraser Coast Regional Council accepted tenders for major works at the Teddington Water Treatment Plant (WTP), the Eli Creek Sewage Treatment Plant and the Howard Water Treatment Plant.
Fraser Coast Regional Councillor, Zane O’Keefe, said the majority of the works would occur at the Teddington WTP, which supplies water to Maryborough and surrounding areas, with $6 million to be spent to improve the plant’s reliability and effectiveness.
Mr O’Keefe said that providing safe, reliable, efficient water and wastewater services to local residents and businesses is one of the Council’s core responsibilities.
“As our community grows, we need to ensure our water and sewage treatment plants are resilient and operating as effectively as possible both now and into the future.
“Council successfully sought a $2 million grant towards a sludge dewatering project at the Teddington WTP through the Queensland Government’s Building Our Regions program.”
Mr O’Keefe said that the grant will be combined with council funding to construct a new sludge management system.
“The new facility will mean we will be able to more safely and efficiently manage the sludge and solids generated during the water treatment process.”
Mr O’Keefe said that the sludge dewatering project can be developed within the existing site and will allow continued operations through wet weather.
“It’s all about ensuring we have a sustainable, affordable and reliable water future for our community and our environment.”
Member for Maryborough, Bruce Sanders, said the state government has worked with the Fraser Coast Regional Council to increase the water supply to the Maryborough residents and the new sludge dewatering project will be a welcome addition to the Teddington treatment plant.
Mr O’Keefe said a further $1.1 million would be spent on sludge dewatering projects at the Eli Creek Sewage Treatment Plant and the Howard Water Treatment Plant.
“The existing mechanical dewatering equipment at these sites have reached the end of their working life and need to be replaced to ensure the plants continue to operate efficiently and reliably.”
The contract for the Teddington WTP project will be awarded to Pensar Water, who previously worked with Fraser Coast Regional Council on the Aubinville Sewage Treatment Plant upgrade.
The contract for the works at the Eli Creek STP and Howard WTP will be awarded to Innovative Filtration Solutions.
The $6 million Teddington WTP sludge dewatering project follows a $3.5 million upgrade at the plant in 2020 that involved the installation of new pumps and a new carbon dioxide system, a reconfiguration of pipework, and the replacement of electrical systems.
Work on the sludge dewatering projects is expected to start by February and be completed by late 2024 or early 2025.
Featured image: Fraser Coast Council water and sewage treatment plant. Image credit: Fraser Coast Regional Council.
