TasWater aims to turn seven sewage treatment plants into one as part of the Launceston sewer transformation project.
In one of the most significant infrastructure upgrades ever undertaken in northern Tasmania, the treatment plants will be consolidated into the upgraded Ti Tree Bend sewage treatment plant.
“Our sewer network has served the community for more than 100 years, but it’s time to deliver improvements for the future,” TasWater project director – major projects Andrew Truscott said.
“This project will improve the treatment of the community’s wastewater, ensuring we meet modern environmental standards and provide the infrastructure capacity we need for future development.”
In modernising Launceston’s ageing sewer infrastructure, the project will also protect the Kanamaluka/Tamar estuary and unlock capacity for future growth.
“The completion of the Ti Tree Bend sewage treatment plant … will see a 70 per cent reduction of nutrients discharged to the Kanamaluka/Tamar estuary,” TasWater general manager – project delivery Tony Willmott told Pump Industry.
Sewage pump stations will be built as part of the project, directing flows to the Ti Tree Bend treatment plant.
TasWater recently celebrated a key construction milestone at Ti Tree Bend, with the plant’s 10-megalitre storage tank and pump station capped. This marked the halfway mark of construction, with work on the plant to be completed in mid-2026.
The Launceston sewer transformation project will be completed in stages over the next 10 years, forming part of TasWater’s fifth Price and Service Plan proposal (PSP5), with $435 million allocated in this pricing period for essential infrastructure works.
The utility is committing $1.7 billion across four years to bring the state’s water and sewerage infrastructure up to speed with modern standards.
“We currently have 110 sewage treatment plants in Tasmania, which is reflective of previous councils having plants in their own patch,” Willmott said.
“This equates to having about 38 per cent of the water and sewage treatment plants for two per cent of the Australian population, so we’ve got some rationalisation work to do.
“Tasmania loses more drinking water than any other state in Australia, so work will also focus on rectifying significant leakage rates.”
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