Work has begun on an $8 million expansion of Orange City Council’s Sewage Treatment Plant, designed to meet the future needs of a growing city.
Earlier in the year, Orange City Council awarded a construction contract to Precision Civil Infrastructure Pty Ltd. The company established a construction site at the plant last week. The project is expected to be completed by the end of next year.
The major equipment for the project was ordered last year to avoid possible equipment delivery delays. The equipment, valued at just under $1 million, has since been delivered. The project also includes pipe relocation and an internal road upgrade.
Orange City Council funded the project through sewer charges.
Orange Mayor Jason Hamling welcomed the start of the project.
“Projects like this will put us in a better position for a city with a growing population,” said Hamling.
“This upgrade will help us cater for higher volumes of waste more efficiently and sustainably.”
Orange City Council excited for the future
Orange City Council’s Infrastructure Committee chair Cr Jack Evans said the project was an excellent example of how the Council is managing significant projects.
“By completing the design stage early and ordering the equipment, it helped us avoid delays and potential cost over-runs,” said Evans.
“It’s good too for ratepayers who see routine amounts for water and sewer on their rate notices to see how this money is being spent to deliver an expanded and more efficient system.”
The upgrade will replace equipment at the inlet side of the Sewage Treatment Plant at the stage where wastewater first reaches the plant. Filtering screens from the 1990s will be replaced by current filters, which remove finer levels of waste. The new equipment is also more energy efficient, with expected savings of around $30 thousand a year.
Upgrading the inlet works will also improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the whole treatment cycle across the plant.
The new screens will also be able to cater for greater peak volumes of wastewater that occur when heavy rain sends unwanted stormwater into the city’s sewerage network.
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