Water treatment plant upgrade secures water supplies

A $35 million filtration upgrade for one South East Queensland’s most important water treatment plants is set to create 100 jobs in the region and significantly improve the plant’s ability to maintain water supply during extreme events.

Natural Resources Minister, Dr Anthony Lynham, said the filtration upgrade to the Mt Crosby East Bank Water Treatment Plant on Brisbane’s west would significantly improve its resilience to extreme weather events, climate change and enhance water supply security for SEQ.

“The Mt Crosby water treatment plants, both East Bank and West Bank combined, are critical to the operation of the SEQ Water Grid and can provide up to half the region’s daily water supply,’’ Dr Lynham said.

The project, which is expected to take more than two and a half years to complete, will generate up to 100 jobs and deliver major improvements to the plant’s filter design and control.

“It will significantly improve the plant’s ability to maintain water supply during extreme rain events and flooding to further improve the water supply security of our region,” Dr Lynham said.

Seqwater Chief Executive Officer, Neil Brennan, said the water grid would be used to supplement Brisbane’s water supply when the refurbishment works were being undertaken.

Mr Brennan said the work was being staged to ensure water supply was maintained, with six filters being taken offline at a time.

“Taking filters offline will result in reduced production at East Bank, with the water grid and other treatment plants across the region helping to supplement supply to Brisbane and Ipswich during the project,” he said.

“This project will ensure East Bank can continue to supply safe and reliable drinking water to SEQ well into the future and be better equipped to deal with the impact of climate change,’’ Mr Brennan said.

Filters play an essential role in the water treatment process, assisting with clarifying water prior to disinfection.

The upgrade work will help the plant be more able to treat water with high levels of turbidity or sediment which can result from extreme rainfall events across the Wivenhoe catchment washing soil and debris into the creeks and waterways.

Water treated at the Mt Crosby water treatment plants comes from the Brisbane River, downstream from Wivenhoe Dam.

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