Award winning Kingaroy Wastewater Treatment Plant officially opens

The Aquatec Maxcon designed and constructed Kingaroy Wastewater Treatment Plant, owned and operated by South Burnett Regional Council, was officially opened on Monday 25^th April.

The plant, which was completed in early 2016, has been operating without a hitch for a year and is the first of its kind within Australia to use ground-breaking Nereda® technology, developed by the Dutch company Royal HaskoningDHV.

The innovative Nereda® system uses granular activated sludge (biomass) to treat all of the town’s wastewater, which significantly reduces the need of chemicals and dramatically reduces the plant’s energy requirements.  This technology purifies wastewater and sewage into quality Class A+ recycled (drinking) water, surpassing official effluent standards, which can then be used for irrigation or released safely back into the environment.  

South Burnett 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.  

Aquatec Maxcon Managing Director, Greg Johnston, said the significance of the project could not be overstated with the operating costs now 45% less than a plant using conventional technology.  Mr Johnston continued to say “Effluent discharged from the Nereda® reactor is suitable for recycled water reclamation, so during the summer months up to half of the influent is going to be reused for local sports facilities – an excellent result for the local community.  Nereda® technology is new to Australia but is being used all over the world. I believe it sets a new standard in the biological treatment of wastewater.”

The $25 million plant, built on time and within budget, won the 2016 Engineering Excellence Award for Projects over $10 million.   

 Photo credit:  South Burnett online   

Photo credit: South Burnett Online