The Western Australian Government has completed a $48 million upgrade to the Subiaco Wastewater Treatment Plant to boost its treatment capacity to support growth in the western suburbs between Perth, Scarborough, Fremantle and the Perth CBD.
Wastewater treatment was first carried out at the site in 1927 and the Water Corporation has progressively completed upgrades, with the plant now the third largest in Western Australia.
Work started in February 2016 and included upgrades to existing treatment facilities, new inlet works, refurbishment of secondary treatment components and existing electrical and control systems.
This most recent upgrade increased the plant’s capacity by nearly 1.5 billion litres of wastewater each year, enabling it to treat around 24.5 billion litres of wastewater annually.
Minister for Water, Dave Kelly, said, wastewater treatment is a vital part of the services the Water Corporation delivers to households, businesses and industry across Western Australia.
“In Perth, the Water Corporation collects, treats and safely disposes of about 383 million litres of wastewater each day, through more than 13,000km of wastewater mains.
“The upgrade of the Subiaco Wastewater Treatment Plant supports growth within the plant’s catchment, which services more than 240,000 people in the western suburbs between Perth, Scarborough, Fremantle and the Perth CBD.
“Local expertise was used as part of the upgrade, with 382 Western Australian workers involved in the project, including 168 local subcontractors.”
There is potential for the Subiaco Wastewater Treatment Plant to be a site for groundwater replenishment in the future, as climate change continues to impact the state’s water supplies.
The State Government’s investment in water and wastewater continues, with $408 million planned for Water Corporation projects across Perth in 2018-19.
