Unitywater’s Kenilworth Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) in Queensland is set to become a greener destination with the installation of solar panels and a floating wetland at the site.
The solar panels have enabled the plant to become energy neutral and will help reduce Unitywater’s carbon emissions by 12 tonnes a year.
The floating wetland uses plant roots to remove nutrients and sediment from treated wastewater, improving water quality before it is used to irrigate a specially-planted forest.
Unitywater Executive Manager Sustainable Infrastructure Solutions, Amanda Creevey, said the project was a simple solution that made a big difference.
“Our 17 sewage treatment plants require a lot of energy to run, costing Unitywater millions of dollars each year in electricity bills,” Ms Creevey said.
“Kenilworth is our first STP to be energy neutral and it’s exciting that we can offset the energy needed to run the plant with the solar panels.
“The wetland plants are a green engineering solution and help clean the water that’s released after the sewage treatment process.”
Ms Creevey said the works benefited the local environment and helped reduce Unitywater’s cost to serve by keeping bills as low as possible for customers.
