Major renewal works undertaken by a local utility are expected to help secure reliable wastewater services for 147,000 residents across the Sunshine Coast.
The Maroochydore Wastewater Treatment Plant is being upgraded as part of Unitywater’s five-year $500m replacements and renewals program to improve water and wastewater infrastructure across its network.
Delivered by Unitywater’s construction partner Abergeldie, the works include renewing critical equipment throughout the treatment process.
This includes reconfiguring the inlet works, upgrading secondary clarifiers, renewing a bioreactor where microorganisms remove nutrients from wastewater, and completing a major renewal of the plant’s solar dryer.
The solar dryer removes moisture from sludge to produce biosolids, which can be reused as agricultural fertiliser.
Unitywater executive manager sustainable infrastructure solutions Mike Basterfield said the renewal program would ensure the plant continued to reliably treat around 11 gigalitres of wastewater each year – equivalent to about 4000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
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“By taking a renewal approach rather than pursuing a more extensive upgrade, we’ve delivered significant cost savings while keeping the plant fully operational for our customers,” he said.
“Our planning, operations and capital delivery teams have worked together to develop innovative, cost-effective solutions that optimise the plant’s performance and prepare it for future demand.”
