Calls to be water-wise during Glenmore Water Treatment Plant upgrade
Published on 03 July 2024
Rockhampton Regional Council is calling on residents to carefully watch their water usage from today, 3 July for the next two months as upgrades to Glenmore Water Treatment Plant (GWTP) enter a final yet critical phase.
The $23.7m GWTP renewal project commenced in March 2021 and will significantly improve the reliability and lifespan of the plant, ensuring continued delivery of high-quality drinking water for the community.
The final stage now involves emptying the two sedimentation tanks, which play a key role in removing impurities during the treatment process, to undertake replacement of electrical and mechanical components.
Water Portfolio Councillor Edward Oram said this phase of the upgrade is a major undertaking, temporarily reducing the treatment plant’s capacity by 50% whilst taking each tank offline sequentially.
“These tanks are critical components of the treatment process and this upgrade is more complex than our annual routine maintenance activities,” Cr Oram said.
“Each tank will be emptied and cleaned, control system components will be replaced, then the tank will be refilled and brought back online before work commences on the second tank.
“This work has been strategically scheduled for our winter period when water demand and consumption is at its lowest. However, given the scale of this upgrade, it means our sedimentation tanks will be offline for longer compared to our standard annual cleaning program,” Cr Oram said.
“Council is strongly encouraging residents to be mindful of their water usage for the next two months as we undertake this critical phase in the project.
“Simple water conservation practices like taking shorter showers and fixing leaks straight away can surprisingly make a significant difference.”
In the unlikely event of an unforeseen issue during the refurbishment of the tanks, Council has contingency plans in place which may involve a short-term ban on non-essential outdoor water use over the course of a few days, if absolutely necessary.
While this is not anticipated, it is important that the community are aware of our contingency plan while we operate at reduced capacity and are prepared to respond quickly.
The Glenmore Water Treatment Plant Upgrade has to date involved:
- Replacement of electrical systems;
- Process control instrumentation;
- Treatment process controls; and
- Filter refurbishment.
Once completed, the GWTP will be able to treat 120ML per day for a wider range of raw water conditions.