Crow’s Nest Shire Council recently completed construction of its second water treatment plant which will filter water for the 1,300 residents of Crow’s Nest township.
The facility was designed and constructed by Council staff. Fabrication of the steel filters was carried out at the Council Workshop.
Although water quality from Crow’s Nest’s Cressbrook and Perseverance Dams has normally exceeded National Health and Medical Research Council Standards, heavy rainfall had resulted in discoloured water.
“Although the dirty water problem was minor, occurring only on several days of the year, it caused considerable inconvenience to our consumers during those times,” said Dave McEvoy, Director of Technical Services.
“What was needed was a plant that was cheap to construct and economical to operate. Conventional treatment would have cost up to $1 million and it was difficult to justify and even more difficult to fund such expenditure.
“Direct filtration was the answer. It can cope with a population of 2,500 and costs less than $100 per person. Operating costs consist of some minor chemical purchases and routine maintenance. Remote monitoring and control reduces labour cost to a site visit once or twice a week.”
The plant was built at a cost of $220,000 and uses three tanks to filter the water. The site has been selected to remove the need for pumps and a subsequent saving in operation costs has been achieved.
A granular activated carbon filter has been included in case of blue green algae outbreaks. This utilises a wood based carbon, allowing bacterial colonisation to tackle the algae. With a capacity of 12 litres per second, it will only be brought on line during toxic algae blooms.
“The plant has provided a cost effective solution to a specific problem,” Dave McEvoy said.
For further information please contact Dave McEvoy, telephone (07) 4698 1155.
