Friday 29 January 2010
Work on the biggest ever capital works project by Tamworth Regional Council has passed the half way mark with major infrastructure stages presenting some impressive and substantial construction sights.
The $80 million Westdale wastewater and effluent farm project is due for completion by July and 120 workers are currently on the construction site.
The project will double the capacity of the treatment plant and provide for industrial, commercial and residential growth past 2020.
At Westdale, concreting of the base and sides of the four IDAL lagoons, or intermittent decanting aeration lagoons is underway and the pipework is finished for the sludge lagoons and those lagoons are now holding effluent.
The final maturation pond is nearing completion and the pump station which will pump effluent from the pond to the effluent farm at New Winton has begun construction.
The construction of the inlet works pump station and the inlet works at Westdale has also begun and the odour bed and blower building is underway too.
The walls of the 1,500 megalitre storage dam at the farm have been finished and the riprap, or the stone and rock inner lining of the dam to prevent erosion from lapping water, is underway and should be finished by the end of February. The 7.5 kilometre pipeline that takes the effluent from Westdale to the farm is also finished and waiting to be hooked up.
Water Enterprises director Bruce Logan says the project will give the city a new environmental standard in effluent treatment and recycling, will handle projected population growth, will stop the discharge of treated waste into river systems, and will allow for a daily effluent discharge of 11.7 megalitres (currently) to be used to irrigate farmland and grow Westdale will become the city’s single sewer plant and also take over the operations of the Swan Street plant once it is commissioned.
The Westdale upgrade is being undertaken by the Westdale Alliance group, a joint partnership between Council, global design firm MWH and specialist construction company United Group Infrastructure.
At the reuse farm itself work continues on the installation of centre pivot irrigators and associated pipework. The farm will be operated by REALM Pty Ltd and could produce up to 14,000 tonnes of hay and fodder a year.