{"id":176264,"date":"2017-04-24T23:52:22","date_gmt":"2017-04-24T13:52:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=176264"},"modified":"2020-09-18T15:25:07","modified_gmt":"2020-09-18T05:25:07","slug":"waters-not-going-to-waste","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2017\/04\/24\/waters-not-going-to-waste\/","title":{"rendered":"Water’s Not Going To Waste"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Aquatec Maxcon managing director Greg Johnston, Rosalie Rosink from Royal HaskoningDHV, and South Burnett mayor Keith Campbell<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

April 25, 2017<\/strong><\/p>\n

The award-winning Kingaroy Wastewater Treatment plant was officially opened on Monday, with a representative travelling from the Netherlands for the special occasion.<\/p>\n

The $25 million plant has actually been running without a hitch for almost a year – and has even been featured on a Dutch stamp – so the formal ribbon-cutting was possibly a little overdue.<\/p>\n

The Dutch connection comes via Royal HaskoningDHV, the company which developed the Nereda system which is now being used in Kingaroy to turn wastewater and sewage into pure Class A recycled water (Class A+ would be drinking water).<\/p>\n

This recycled water can then be put to good use irrigating Kingaroy’s various sporting fields or released safely back into the environment.<\/p>\n

SBRC Infrastructure\u00a0General Manager Russell Hood said Council has been developing the project for about five years.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He praised former councillor Barry Green, who previously held the water and wastewater portfolio, for having the confidence in Council staff.<\/p>\n

“We are now reaping the rewards,” Mr Hood said.<\/p>\n

The Nereda plant is the first of its kind in Australia, and uses an innovative system of biomass (“granulated activated sludge”) to treat the water.<\/p>\n

The initial culture to begin the six-week process that grows the biomass was imported to Kingaroy\u00a0from Caboolture.<\/p>\n

Mayor Keith Campbell said the old trickling filter sewage plant had been long overdue for replacement, and the local environment had also been “crying out for a break” from low quality effluent.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He said the Nereda system would mean a saving in maintenance costs and reduced energy costs.<\/p>\n

Official standards for effluent were also being surpassed.<\/p>\n

Mayor Campbell praised the former State Government for putting $10 million towards the cost of the plant, from its “Royalties For Regions” program.<\/p>\n

He said the construction project had injected $7 million directly into the local economy via contractors, and $2.5 million for ancillary work such as roads, fencing etc.<\/p>\n

Ipswich-based company Aquatec Maxcon built the\u00a0Royal HaskoningDHV-designed plant.<\/p>\n

Aquatec Maxcon managing director Greg Johnston said the significance of the project could not be overstated.<\/p>\n

He said the operating costs were now 45 per cent less than a plant using conventional technology.<\/p>\n

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