Brogo Water Treatment Plant

LC Water's recently completed 3.5MLD Dissolved Air Flotation and Filtration (DAFF) for Bega Valley Shire Council solved a lot of problems!

The $10.7M project's process train included pH correction, coagulation and flocculation (including ACH and poly dosing), DAFF, disinfection (Gaseous Chlorine), and provision for fluoride dosing, along with all water storages, sludge thickening, and sludge drying beds.

Given the previous 30-year-old facility was made up of a chlorinator and balance tank, which only provided a single disinfection treatment step to raw water from the Brogo River, the new process train will see to it that variations in raw water quality, not least in the event of bushfires, will not result in "boil water alerts".

Innovations included chemical bunds sunken with grating at ground level for easy access without need for any stairs, flexible dosing line within conduits, and an optimised plant building roof design, and also tank designs, which permitted solar installation to offset drawing power from the grid to power the plant.

A major challenge constraining early design of the plant was presented by an overhead powerline running through the middle of the proposed site. It was decided early to proceed with powerline relocation approvals and design the plant while these approvals were being completed. This allowed us to make better use of the area available and to remove an overhead hazard. Starting the approvals early meant that construction was able to commence and the relocation able to happen in the early stages with minimal impact on the construction program.

Further, relocating the power lines meant the building could be used to shield concrete tanks from view from the road, which meant that these tanks did not need to be painted for aesthetic reasons, which was a saving for the client.

For further information on the plant's completion, please refer to the council's website: Brogo Water Treatment Plant Upgrade - Bega Valley Shire Council (nsw.gov.au)