After 18 months and a great deal of effort the first private sewage plant in Australia using the Advanced Enviro-Septic has been approved for installation in Queensland. The first stage will be capable of treating 60,000 litres per day of raw sewage from coal seam gas accommodation camps using a 28m x 20m single bed, double layer installation.
While the Queensland Department of the Environment and Heritage Protection had previously granted approval for several Advanced Enviro-Septic installations up to 40,000 ltr/day. The application process for this facility was complicated by community outrage over the approval and installation of raw sewage evaporation ponds on private property and the unacceptable impact on adjoining property owners and the environment with contamination of the ground water the greatest issue.
The ABC coverage of the protests by the community when approval was being sought for another untreated, raw sewage evaporation pond facility north of Roma, prompted the Local Authority to wisely take the additional step of seeking the expert opinion from ERM to confirm that the proposed Enviro-Septic sewage plant represented best environmental practice.
With a Department of the Environment and Heritage Protection license issued and receipt of the ERM report by Council, the project was approved. Documentation for operational works has been finalised and construction will commence in the short term. Installation will take approximately 4 weeks from start of construction to commissioning.
Open days will be held in 2015 to provide industry and government representatives the opportunity to witness an operational passive Advanced Enviro-Septic sewage plant in operation.
