In December 2019 Council announced it will move ahead with plans to upgrade the Pulgul Sewage Treatment Plant and expand the Hervey Bay Recycled Water Reuse Scheme.
Fraser Coast Regional Council, through Wide Bay Water (WBW) a business unit of Council, will move ahead with plans to upgrade the Pulgul Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) and expand its recycled water reuse scheme to ensure it can meet the needs of a growing city.
Over the next 25 years the population of Fraser Coast is expected to increase on average by 1%1 per annum to a total population of approximately 125,000 people by 2036.
WBW was investigating three possible options for sewage treatment plant upgrade locations to meet the needs of our growing population in Hervey Bay.
They also explored new opportunities for recycled water, (regardless of which treatment plant location is upgraded), in order to add to the current expansive irrigation program with turf farms, cane fields and hardwood forests, one of Australia’s largest.
The decision to expand the Pulgul treatment works and reuse scheme follows months of community engagement and feedback in 2019 on the three possible options and recycled water scheme expansion.
Council currently uses the recycled water to irrigate 500 hectares of trees. It is also used by farmers for irrigation.
The planning for this option has to cater for a significant increase in effluent, up to five times the normal amount, reaching the treatment plant when it rains.
This option is supported by Council’s Sustainability Charter, under which Council is committed to establishing a diverse and resilient recycled water management system that promotes the recovery and reuse of recycled water as a resource, while at the same time providing an environmentally sustainable outfall solution when volumes of recycled water exceed the regions capacity to reuse.
1 This is based on Office of Government Statistician’s projections in 2018.
Have any questions, feedback or need more information?
Contact the Project Team at WBWengagement@frasercoast.qld.gov.au or speak to a project team member by phone on 07 3217 6849.