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Major sewage treatment plant capacity increase for Hervey Bay

Project Overview

Pulgul Creek

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.

Storage for recycled water scheme in Hervey Bay

Sewage plant upgrade to cater for growing community

Following community feedback, the Fraser Coast Regional Council will move ahead with plans to upgrade the Pulgul Sewage Treatment Plant and expand its recycled water reuse scheme to ensure it can meet the needs of a growing city.

Category : Media Release
Created On :  18 December 2019
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Help shape our future sewage treatment network

Help shape our future sewage treatment network

Fraser Coast residents are being encouraged to help shape the future of Hervey Bay’s sewage treatment network by getting involved in community consultation activities this month.

Deputy Mayor Darren Everard said with the Fraser Coast’s population forecast to grow significantly over the next two decades, sewage treatment plant upgrades will be needed.

“The current sewage treatment and recycled water management system is not sufficient to sustain the increased population,” he said.

Click here to read more.

Category : Media Release
Created On :  11 September 2019
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  • Council announces plans to upgrade Pulgul Sewage Treatment Plant

    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.
  • Community Consultation report

    In mid December 2019 the Major Sewage Treatment Plant Capacity Increase for Hervey Bay Site Selection Project Community Consultation report will be submitted to Council.

Fraser Coast Regional Council, through Wide Bay Water (WBW), has investigated a range of options for sewage treatment plant upgrade locations and release of additional recycled water generated in order to meet the needs of our growing population in Hervey Bay.

WBW commissioned a site selection study to identify the preferred option to achieve the capacity increase. The aim of the study was to identify which of the two STPs, Pulgul or Nikenbah, would be the most appropriate for the upgrade and how best to manage the increase in recycled water.

The three primary options that have arisen from the study are being shared with the wider community to seek feedback on each option so that Council could consider the best approach for the future:

Option 1 – Upgrade Nikenbah Sewage Treatment Plant and reuse scheme to accommodate growth;

Option 2 – Upgrade Pulgul Sewage Treatment Plant and build a new outfall offshore from the marina, and continue to use the existing reuse scheme, and

Option 3 – Upgrade Pulgul Sewage Treatment Plant, build a new outfall offshore from the Marina, continue to expand the reuse scheme.

Council engaged with the community in 2019 for their feedback on the three possible options and recycled water scheme expansion.  This was spread over two stages including:

  • A Community Panel made up of a representative sample of people from across the Fraser Coast region has been meeting to deliberate on the three options that are being explored and to consider new alternative options;
  • Wider community engagement involving workshops, community information stalls, bus site tours and key stakeholder interviews were held in September-October 2019 (see the Major Sewage Treatment Plant Capacity Increase for Hervey Bay Site Selection Project Brochure in the Document Library).

You can find out more about the options for STP upgrade and how the Hervey Bay Sewage System and the Hervey Bay Recycled Water Scheme work in the Document Library.

The Major Sewage Treatment Plant Capacity Increase for Hervey Bay Site Selection Project Community Consultation report was prepared in October-November 2019 so that Council can consider the best approach for the future.

In mid December 2019 the Major Sewage Treatment Plant Capacity Increase for Hervey Bay Site Selection Project Community Consultation report was submitted to Council. This Community Consultation report is available on Council’s website as part of the agenda papers for Council’s meeting on 18 December 2019.

Click here to view the Council meeting agenda which includes the Community Consultation Report:

  • Pages 542 – 547 details the agenda item relating to this project
  • Pages 548-592 details the Community Consultation report

For more information on this project and the significant work already undertaken as part of the Site Selection process click here.

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Document Library

FAQS

Hydrodynamic modelling of the area around the Marina was required as part of the KBR site selection study. 

An existing hydrodynamic model already existed for Pulgul Creek and the surrounding area that could be utilised.  However this model was created using a software and functionality for which KBR did not have a license.

It was more cost effective for WBW to engage another consultant that had the necessary software license than to pay KBR to purchase that license or recreate the entire model in different software.  The consulting firm that won the contract to undertake this modelling was Intrawater

35 individuals were randomly selected from phone databases across the Fraser Coast Region.  

The final panel included a range of individuals who were representative of our region across gender, age range, occupational fields or study, owners and renters, diasability,  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and culturally and liguistically diverse.
 

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