TasWater’s work at the Turriff Lodge wetlands has almost finished, with the rebuilding of the old sewage outfall and upgrade to the digester systems at the Turriff Lodge wetlands complete.
The newly updated parkland will not be open to the public until October to allow sufficient time for new vegetation to establish throughout the riverside walking track.
Project Manager, Derrek Clack said the area is almost completed.
“The area looks- and smells – completely different and, while we know people are keen to see it, we want the area to be ready.
“Before we could drain the wetlands and fill the treatment ponds, we had to rebuild the old sewage outfall, and this is complemented by an upgrade to the treatment plant’s digester system,” Mr Clack said.
The upgrade and rebuilding of the old sewerage plant is considered a high priority for TasWater and the company aims to modernise its performance and improve the public health and environmental outcomes.
Following the necessary approvals from the Environment Protection Authority, Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service and Derwent Valley Council, the new outfall that is being built for the sewage treatment plant will divert flows away from the wetlands. Instead, the flow will follow the new underwater outfall which extends 14m into the river and six metres beneath the surface.
A new diffuser is set to be implemented, improving the dispersion and dilution of effluent. The area’s aquatic environment is also expected to benefit from the rebuild with water quality to be monitored by TasWater.
The new outfall will require a vent stack to be installed close to the fence of the sewage treatment plan, which will release any odour at height and reduce the odour for visitors to the area.
The walking track has been closed to allow heavy machinery to access the relevant areas during the rebuild and upgrade and is expected to reopen in October.
