Works are underway on the first stage of the Loganholme Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) upgrade, kicking off more than $100 million in major upgrades.
The City of Logan’s largest water treatment facility services around 300,000 residents and is home to Australia’s first permanent biosolids gasification facility.
The $27 million facility transforms sewage sludge into renewable energy and a safe, environmentally-friendly product called biochar. Trials were conducted in 2020 and the facility is expected to be operational by mid-2022.
Once running, it will reduce the volume of biosolids (sewage sludge) by 90 per cent, reducing environmental consequences and providing cost savings to ratepayers.
Council will also spend around $69 million to upgrade the WWTP’s main treatment process. This includes construction of a modern membrane bioreactor treatment facility covering 3,500sqm.
The technology will increase the plant’s treatment capacity from 45 million litres per day to 67 million litres per day and will service an additional 100,000 people.
It will complement the existing conventional treatment process and enable the transfer of flows from the Beenleigh WWTP, which will be decommissioned.
The move is estimated to save ratepayers around $27 million in operating costs over the next 20 years.
Council’s drive to carbon neutrality will also take another leap forward with the construction of a 1,000kW solar array at the Loganholme plant, with construction starting in March 2021.
The $3.6 million project will include around 3,000 solar panels covering around 3,700sqm.
Meanwhile, a 30-year-old wastewater pump station at the plant will get a $6 million makeover including new pumps, valves and pipework to more efficiently manage incoming wastewater flows and enhance safety for operators.
City Infrastructure Chair, Councillor Teresa Lane, said the upgrades would minimise community impacts associated with conventional treatment processes and maximise the use of the flood-free land available on-site at Loganholme.
“This is a world-class facility and the envy of councils Australia-wide,” Ms Lane said.
“While the infrastructure upgrades will streamline operations and create efficiency, they’re creating employment and work opportunities for hundreds of construction jobs for Logan residents and contractors.”
