Plant Paves Way For Future Growth

20161027 Gordonbrook Water Plant — South Burnett Mayor Keith Campbell and Aquatec Maxcon Managing Director Greg Johnston at the official opening of the new Gordonbrook Water Treatment Plant on Thursday

October 28, 2016

Kingaroy will be able to double its current population before it needs to look at upgrading the Gordonbrook Water Treatment Plant again.

The new treatment plant, which has been operating since mid-May, was officially opened on Thursday morning.

Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington, South Burnett Mayor Keith Campbell, and current and former Councillors were given a tour of the new facility by Council’s water treatment plant staff, plant builders Aquatec Maxcon and consultants Hunter H2O.

Deputy Premier Jacki Trad and former South Burnett Mayor Wayne Kratzmann were apologies due to other commitments.

Mayor Campbell said half the plant’s cost had been paid using the South Burnett Regional Council’s cash reserves, while the balance had been paid with a $680,000 grant from the State Government and borrowings.

Because the treatment plant will be a long-lived asset, funding the balance through a low-interest Treasury loan would help ensure inter-generational equity and was the most fiscally responsible thing to do, he said.

SBRC Water and Waste Water Manager Nerida Airs said the need to improve the plant had been recognised as far back as 1990.

Building the new plant had taken five years, from drawing up initial estimates through to calling for tenders, preparing a final design, and then carrying out construction.

The build itself had been complex because the treatment plant supplies Kingaroy with water, which meant the old plant had to be kept in operation while its replacement was being put together.

To make matters even more difficult, the former plant had been operating so long that engineers weren’t quite sure what they’d discover under the ground as they set about preparing the foundations.

Even so, the new plant was built on schedule and the changeover had been effected with minimal disruption to residents.

The new treatment plant draws water from both Gordonbrook and Boondooma dams, Nerida said.

Gordonbrook Dam is owned by the Council so its water is free, but the quality is poor and water storage is low.

Boondooma Dam’s water quality is much higher and it has 30 times Gordonbrook’s storage capacity, but because that dam is owned by Sunwater the Council has to pay $600 for every megalitre it uses.

The challenge plant operators face is finding the ideal mix between the two that maximises water quality while minimising costs, and at the moment that mix appears to be one part Gordonbrook to two parts Boondooma.

This produces water that is of equivalent quality to Brisbane’s water supply, but also removes the “earthy undertones” that were once a hallmark of Kingaroy’s water.

The new plant has been built using state-of-the-art processes and is heavily automated.

Water from both dams goes through a five stage purification process.

A computerised system of monitors measures water quality and purity at each stage of treatment, and will shut the plant down automatically if there is a failure anywhere in the system.

Once fully treated, clean water is then pumped from the plant along a 12km rising main to the Mt Wooroolin Reservoir, from where it goes to homes connected to the Kingaroy water supply.

At the moment the plant is processing around 3.5 megalitres a day, and this may rise to 4.5 megalitres a day in the summer months.

But the new plant has the capacity to process 9 megalitres a day, which means Kingaroy’s population would need to double its present size before a further upgrade would be required.

The Council spent $9.68 million on the project. Aquatec Maxcon’s quote to build the plant was $7.5 million plus GST (ie $8.25 million) and the balance of costs came from roadworks at the site, and design services provided by Hunter H2O.

The Council spent $5 million of its constrained funds on the project, the State Government contributed $680,000 through a grant, and the remaining $4 million was borrowed from Queensland Treasury.

Related articles:

Council, Kingaroy

2 Responses to "Plant Paves Way For Future Growth"

Bill says:

October 27, 2016 at 7:21 pm

So what did it cost ?

Newsdesk says:

October 28, 2016 at 4:05 pm

We have now obtained an outline of the project’s costs from the South Burnett Regional Council, and have added this information into our original story.