Burwood Beach Treatment Works Upgrade

Overview

Stage 2 Upgrade

Please see the Current Works - ABF Tower tab for further details on the final component of the Stage 2 upgrade involves the removal and replacement of the media in the Activated Bio-Filter (ABF) Tower, which is part of the secondary treatment process at the WWTW.

The project commenced on 1 August 2011 and is scheduled to be completed by 31 March 2012. There is the likely potential for some localised noise impacts during the construction phase of these works. Hunter Water apologises for any inconvenience this work causes and appreciate residents patience and understanding during this final component of the WWTW upgrade.

Burwood Beach Wastewater Treatment Works

The Burwood Beach Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW) is Hunter Water's largest wastewater treatment facility, treating an average daily flow of 44 million litres and servicing approximately 180,000 people (25% of Hunter Water customers).

Secondary treated effluent is discharged from the plant to the Pacific Ocean via a 1.5 km long ocean outfall. The Burwood Beach WWTW catchment extends from the Newcastle City area and suburbs to Dudley in the south, Wallsend in the west and Mayfield in the north. The current Burwood Beach WWTW was constructed in 1992 with a design capacity of 220,000 equivalent persons (EP).

The plant has recently undergone a major upgrade to improve the reliability of the existing process and ensure the plant can meet the current license conditions at its design capacity. Stage 2 construction began in September 2009 and is in the final stages, with the ABF Tower upgrade the only remaining element.

Planning has now begun for the Burwood Beach WWTW Stage 3 upgrade. A long-term strategy for effluent and biosolids management will be considered as part of the Stage 3 upgrade. The planning process will consider a range of environmental, social, technical and financial factors to ensure the most sustainable outcome for both Hunter Water and the community it services.

 

Information

Stage 3

Fact Sheets

• Fact Sheet October 2010

Media

• Health Risk Assessment Media Release

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Stage 2

Fact Sheets

• Fact Sheet - September 2011
• Fact Sheet - October 2010

Letter to residents

• Letter to residents - October 2010
• Letter to residents - September 2010
• Letter to residents - July 2010
• Letter to residents - May 2010
• Letter to residents - December 2009
• Letter to residents - October 2009
• Letter to residents - August 2009
  

Plans and Photos

 
• Burwood clarifier construction (Oct-Nov 2009)
• Burwood aeration tank construction (Oct-Nov 2009) 
• Burwood clarifier construction (Dec 2009-Jan 2010)
• Burwood aeration tank construction (Dec 2009-Jan 2010)

Media 

 

Project Reports and Investigations

• Review of Environmental Factors (REF) Main Report - Part A 
• Review of Environmental Factors (REF) Main Report - Part B  

Health

Hunter Water has undertaken a number of studies to determine the level of any public health related impacts resulting from the Burwood Beach ocean outfall. Findings of a Health Risk Assessment confirmed there are negligible health impacts from biosolids released from the Treatment Plant and recommended the minimal potential health impact of effluent disposal could be improved through state-of-the-art UV technology.

Health Risk Assessment Report

For ease of download this report has been broken down into seven sections and a summary:

• Health Risk Assessment Summary
• Health Risk Assessment Part 1
• Health Risk Assessment Part 2
• Health Risk Assessment Part 3
• Health Risk Assessment Part 4
• Health Risk Assessment Part 5
• Health Risk Assessment Part 6
• Health Risk Assessment Part 7

Community Reference Group

A Community Reference Group (CRG) has been established to provide input to the Burwood Beach WWTW Stage 3 upgrade project. This group comprises an independent Chair and eight community members from a broad cross-section of the community. The CRG will create a forum for discussion regarding the project and act as a two-way communication channel between Hunter Water and the community. It held its first meeting on 1 July 2010 and will continue to meet on a regular basis through to mid 2014.

Click herefor the CRG member list. 

Hunter Water will work with external stakeholders, including other government agencies and engineering experts, to develop a list of options to be considered for the long-term management of effluent and biosolids at Burwood Beach. These will then be discussed by the CRG and broader community before a preferred option is determined.

The preferred option will need to consider environmental, social, economic and technical impacts, as well as comply with government regulations and operating licence conditions in both the short and long-term.

In addition, the CRG will help Hunter Water identify the issues which need to be considered as part of the upgrade planning process, such as wastewater recycling options, treated effluent and receiving water quality and visual amenity.

CRG Meeting Minutes

• Meeting Number 1 – July 2010
• Meeting Number 2 – August 2010
• Meeting Number 3 - November 2010
• Meeting Number 4 - March 2011
• Meeting Number 5 - June 2011

Contact Details

For current works

Phone

For more information on current works call the Hunter Treatment Alliance Community Information and Enquiry Line on (02) 4913 5644.

Email
Comments and questions in relation to the current project are welcome, our email address is consultation@hunterwater.com.au.

For Future Planning/Stage 3 enquiries

Phone
For more information on the future upgrade of Burwood Beach Wastewater Treatment Works, please contact Hunter Water's Project Team on (02) 4979 9754.

Email
Comments and questions in relation to future planning at Burwood Beach are welcome, our email address is burwoodprojectteam@hunterwater.com.au.

Current Works - ABF Tower

Hunter Water is currently completing a substantial upgrade to the Burwood Beach Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW), which will significantly improve effluent quality, improve its operational performance and provide additional processing capacity to cater for population growth.

The final component of the Stage 2 upgrade involves the removal and replacement of the media in the Activated Bio-Filter (ABF) Tower, which is part of the secondary treatment process at the WWTW. The ABF Tower contained structured timber media which supports organisms that carry out part of the secondary treatment process, primarily the removal of organic matter. The existing 'timber pallet' media is reaching the end of its life and is being replaced with longer-lasting plastic media. The ABF Tower has been taken offline to enable the 'timber-pallet' media to be removed and replaced.

The upgrade is progressing extremely well with the replacement of the media nearing completion. The roof of the ABF Tower will be replaced and minor modifications made to the Tower access points in early 2012.

The project commenced on 1 August 2011 and is scheduled to be completed by 31 March 2012.

For further information

Hunter Water apologises for any inconvenience this work causes and appreciate residents patience and understanding during this final component of the WWTW upgrade.

Any further questions or concerns about the project can be directed to the Hunter Treatment Alliance Community Information and Enquiry line by telephoning (02) 4913 5644.