State-of-art sewage treatment plant will ‘polish’ the poo

Imagine having a picnic next to a sewerage plant. That’s what a southeast council plans for its newest waste water treatment facility which will “polish” treated sewage in a man-made wetlands before flushing it into a major river.

The man-made wetlands at Cedar Grove will filter the treated waste water.

QUEENSLAND’S first environmentally sustainable wastewater treatment plant will treat sewage by washing it through special membranes before it is “polished” in man-made wetlands.

Once treated, waste from The Cedar Grove sewage treatment plant, which is under construction, will be flushed into the nearby Logan River.

Logan City Council, which will own and manage the plant, said there were also plans to turn the riverside area into a prime picnic spot and a place for Queensland Rocketry Society to hold rocket launch days.

There were also plans to investigate using the treated waste water for agricultural irrigation.

Thousands of trees will be planted along the Logan River banks and at the site to replace those cut down for the plant.

Council said by the end of the sewage cleansing process, leftover waste would have a total nitrogen release of 1mg/litre and total phosphorous of 0.5mg/litre, five times less concentrated than waste from a typical treatment plant.

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RESIDENTS LEFT OUT OF LOOP

A membrane similar to one to be used at the new plant at Cedar Grove.

“The environmental benefit to the river and its catchment will be up to five times better than the impact of any typical wastewater treatment plant in Australia,” the council said in a statement.

It also said the “wetlands design” was world’s best practice and the plant would set a new benchmark in providing state-of-the-art sewage treatment.

But residents and environmentalists were concerned about dumping treated water into the river.

Albert and Logan Conservation Association president Anne Page said the environmental impacts of putting the waste water into the river were unknown as the plant technology was still new.

“The community should be concerned because the water is going into the river and not just from this plant,” she said.

“There are other sewage plants planned for down stream, one at Pleasant View Rd, so we predict a cumulative effect.

“Other plants will have to be built to cope with the waste from the massive growth areas at Flagstone, Greenbank, Yarrabilba, Chambers Flat and Logan Reserve.

“The council can say it will benefit the river but this is a flood-prone area and if it is subjected to treated water there will be environmental damage.”

Logan City Council’s sewage treatment plant statement.

But the council said planting the trees would rehabilitate the Logan River banks upstream of the facility to stop tonnes of nutrient-laden sediment from entering the river each year.

Council also said it would operate under the state’s strictest environmental licence, which stipulates it must achieve a “net environmental benefit” for the catchment area.

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A site masterplan will be drawn up to include walking trails along the Logan River, picnic shelters, a Landcare nursery and areas for community groups to hold events.

Construction is about 40 per cent completed with the facility expected to be operational by June next year.