Welcome to the Hunter Water Website

Boulder Bay WWTW

The Boulder Bay Wastewater Treatment Works is an ocean outfall plant which serves the communities of:

  • Nelson Bay
  • Shoal Bay
  • Dutchmans Bay
  • Corlette
  • Fishermans Bay
  • Boat Harbour
  • Anna Bay
  • Salamander Bay.

It currently treats:

  • 8.6 megalitres per day.

The Boulder Bay plant can handle wastewater from a population equivalent to:

  • 45,000 people.

How it works

The plant provides secondary treatment of the wastewater by the following process:

  • Inlet works including fine screening and grit removal
  • Two aeration activated sludge (MLE) reactors
  • Two secondary clarifiers
  • Sludge handling and treatment facilities (2 gravity drainage decks and 2 belt press filters)
  • An ocean outfall.

The plant is designed to provide a high level of treatment.


How is the treated effluent used?

All biosolids produced at the plant are beneficially used for mine site rehabilitation.

All treated effluent is discharged to the Pacific Ocean through an 800m ocean outfall.