Seqwater’s Mudgeeraba Water Treatment Plant (QLD) is now back online ahead of schedule following a major upgrade.
Throughout the works, which were completed over three weeks, southern Gold Coast residents were provided with almost 1000 million litres of water from the Gold Coast Desalination Plant.
Seqwater Chief Executive Officer, Peter Dennis, said the upgrade had ensured the Mudgeeraba Water Treatment Plant would continue to operate efficiently and provide Gold Coast residents with a reliable water supply.
“The Mudgeeraba plant is an essential part of Seqwater’s water grid. It sources and treats water from Hinze Dam and Little Nerang Dam, and prior to the upgrade it was producing around 60 megalitres of water a day,” said Mr Dennis.
“New pipework installed as part of the upgrade has increased the maximum flow rate to 105 megalitres per day.”
Mr Dennis said comprehensive project planning had ensured works were completed with minimal disruption to the community.
He said the Gold Coast Desalination Plant had ramped up production while the Mudgeeraba plant was shut down for the upgrade.
“The desalination plant was used as the sole supply to a community for the first time outside of extreme weather events, producing between 40 and 90 megalitres of drinking water per day,” he said.
“This project highlighted the importance of the desalination plant beyond emergencies and drought. The desalination plant adds significant resilience to the South East Queensland water grid. It is about being smart in how we use our water assets to manage a range of different future water supply scenarios.
“The Gold Coast Desalination Plant has now returned to hot standby mode.
“Based on population growth and demand, the desalination plant will be required to supplement peak demand on the Gold Coast as early as 2020.”
