Treatment plant upgrade a win for reef water quality

TREATMENT PLANT

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The Port Douglas wastewater treatment plan is to receive an upgrade. Picture: Douglas Shire Council

An upgrade to the Port Douglas Wastewater Treatment Plant will lower electricity use and improve water quality on the Great Barrier Reef.

Douglas Shire Council has received $938,947 from the Queensland Government under the Building Our Regions program to upgrade the aeration system in the sequencing batch reactors (SBR) at the plant.

Aeration is a critical process that reduces organic matter and harmful micro organisms in wastewater so that it can be safely reused or returned to the environment.

Once it is treated, Council uses the treated effluent for irrigation on golf courses in Port Douglas and releases the remainder into the Dickson Inlet.

Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr said new air diffuser grids would significantly improve the efficiency of the wastewater treatment process.

“The plant upgrade will improve the quality of water released into our waterways,” he said.

“By installing a new aerator system we will also significantly reduce our electricity use at the treatment plant which is Council’s most energy-intensive site.”

“As a Reef Guardian Council, Council is proud to showcase another fantastic example of environmentally sustainable investment in our region.”

“I would like to thank Member for Cook Cynthia Lui and the Queensland Government for their continued support of important projects in Douglas Shire.”

The new air diffuser grids will provide a more uniform air flow through the wastewater as it passes through the SBR tanks.

The works will also make the basins in the SBR more accessible for regular maintenance.

Council plans to use local contractors to assist with the cleanout of the basins, remove the old aeration manifolds and install the new system when work begins in May 2023.

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