TasWater’s $314m sewerage relocation from Macquarie Point
TasWater’s biggest project ever will be to relocate the treatment plant at Macquarie Point — the site of the proposed AFL stadium — further up the Derwent.
Tasmania
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Engineering has always interested problem solver Sarah Dall’Alba.
After graduating from a civil engineering degree she got straight to work with TasWater as a site engineer, helping problem solve for the largest project ever undertaken by the state’s water and sewerage utility.
“It will be quite a transformative project for the local community around Hobart, and will make sure we keep our beautiful environment and have a healthier Derwent,” Ms Dall’Alba said at Selfs Point, where TasWater is undertaking a massive $314m project to relocate sewerage treatment facilities from Macquarie Point.
The Selfs Point location was identified in 2016 as the preferred site to move sewerage works from Macquarie Point, due to sights and smells from the plant preventing the prime development land on Hobart’s waterfront from being rezoned for sensitive land uses.
With a multipurpose stadium slated for the site — a requirement of Tasmania’s entry to the AFL — the timeline for decommissioning the old waste water treatment plant is tight.
“We are aiming to be finished with the construction phase by 2026,” TasWater general manager project delivery Tony Willmot said.
Mr Willmott said TasWater was nearing the current capacity for water treatment in Hobart, and the new treatment plant would increase capacity and mean 8000 more homes could be built, with a further 20,000 possible in the future after the decommissioning of other underperforming treatment plants in greater Hobart.
The advanced membrane plant would also prevent 132 tonnes of nutrients from entering the River Derwent each year, a 50 per cent reduction.
It would also make available up to nine billion litres of recycled water that could be used for agricultural purposes in the future.
The first 15 of 125 concrete piles needed to commence the construction of a pump station at Macquarie Point have been installed, while 600 of the 5000 piles needed for Selfs Point have been installed.
Preparation for the construction of a 4.5km pipeline connecting the two sites has commenced and Mr Willmot said pipeline construction could potentially impact traffic, but TasWater would do its best to keep disruptions to a minimum.
He was inviting residents to learn more about the project right on Hobart’s doorstep at the Selfs Point project site from 10am-2pm Saturday.
Mr Willmott said TasWater was partnering with the state Government on the $314m relocation and at the same time would invest a further $66m into the decommissioning of other underperforming treatment plants in greater Hobart.
The project will involve 3420 direct and indirect jobs, with more than 500 graduates applying for TasWater’s last graduate program positions.
Mr Willmott expected the project would generate $1.1bn worth of economic development in Tasmania.
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Originally published as TasWater’s $314m sewerage relocation from Macquarie Point
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