Brisbane, Queensland
The Western Corridor Recycled Water (WCRW) Project is the largest recycled water scheme constructed in Australia and will be the largest project of its kind in the southern hemisphere.
Three Advanced Water Treatment Plants (AWTPs) were constructed as part of the overall WCRW Project at Bundamba, Gibson Island and Luggage Point, along with 200 kilometres of pipeline to transfer the water for treatment and then to end users. The Luggage Point AWTP, undertaken in partnership with CH2M Hill, was a key part of the WCRW Project and can provide up to 70 ML per day of purified recycled water to the WCRW pipeline.
FEATURES:
An advanced water treatment plant was constructed alongside the existing wastewater treatment plant at Luggage Point to provide larger volumes of purified recycled water for delivery to Wivenhoe Dam.
The main activities completed during the construction phase included:
- Continuation of pile-driving precast concrete piles to prepare the site foundation
- Constructing water retaining tanks and buildings
- Installing membranes for the reverse osmosis units
- Installing pipelines, electrical and instrumentation services
- Constructing roads and drains throughout the site
- Installing all electrical switchgear, switchboards and substations
- Landscaping
BENEFITS:
The project was constructed within a very tight time frame of 18 months from start of piling through to commissioning and completion. The treatment process including microfiltration (MF) and reverse osmosis (RO) for the wastewater has not been constructed in Australia before.
It is anticipated this project will be the forerunner of similar plants to be built in the future.
The Luggage Point AWTP was constructed in a highly sensitive and highly political environment and was subject to intense public and media scrutiny. There was substantial pressure due to the tight time frames for construction imposed by the Queensland Government, and the severity of the water crisis in south-east Queensland. This was compounded by continual changes to the scope of works for the project up to a very late stage.
The combined technology used by the project for the water treatment processes is unique in Australia.
This is the first time in Australia that water will be recycled to a quality standard to be fit for use in supplementing drinking water supplies, with only a handful of schemes worldwide that employ similar technology.
CLIENT: Qld Coordinator General
TESTIMONIALS:
"The project has received praise from across the world for its design, innovation and progress, which is a testament to the quality and dedication of all our workers."
Anna Bligh, Queensland Premier
"Luggage Point Alliance was, in my opinion, one of the safest project sites on the Western Corridor Recycled Water Project and consistently looked for ways of continually improving safety and the culture of all who attended or worked on the site."
Les Norton, Safety Manager, Western Corridor Recycled Water
"Luggage Point remains the most successful alliance on the Wester Corridor Scheme in its ability to work with the owner to achieve a 'best for project' outcome and exhibiting true alliance behaviour."
Rod McLeod, Project Director
