Water Update Sept/Oct 2005

We are about to start a $2.8 million project as part of ongoing upgrades to improve efficiency and capacity at the wastewater treatment plant.

The project will see the installation of state of the art technology to disintegrate sludge. It will reduce the volume of biosolids for disposal by 20 – 25 per cent, save 10 – 15 per cent on chemical costs, and produce up to 30 per cent more gas to generate electricity, reducing what is needed from the national grid. Total savings are expected to be about $400,000 a year.

Project costs are included in the total amount budgeted for the complete treatment plant upgrade, and the new system is expected to be operational in March next year.