Paxton Wastewater Treatment Works Upgrade

Completion of Stage 2 Upgrade to the Paxton WWTW

The Stage 2 upgrade to the Paxton Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW) was completed in March 2011.

This upgrade included Hunter Water's first successfully commissioned membrane bioreactor (MBR). MBR is advanced membrane technology which provides a more robust treatment process and reduces the amount of phosphorous in treated effluent.

The upgrade provides additional treatment capacity to service unsewered homes at Millfield and Ellalong which allows residents to replace port-a-loos, septic tanks and other on-site wastewater disposal systems.

The upgraded WWTW also services new homes at Paxton, Millfield and Ellalong and caters for anticipated commercial and residential growth over the next 20 years.

A water quality and aquatic ecology monitoring program and an effluent reuse investigation are both currently underway at Paxton WWTW.

Hunter Water will utilise outcomes from the monitoring program and effluent reuse investigations to assist in developing the long term effluent management strategy for the Paxton WWTW.

Input from the community and other key stakeholders will be invited to inform this process. A decision regarding the most appropriate long term effluent management strategy for the Paxton WWTW is anticipated by the end of 2013.

Planning is now underway to develop a long-term effluent management strategy. Hunter Water has commenced investigations to determine the most sustainable long-term effluent management strategy for the Paxton Wastewater Treatment Works.

Hunter Water currently reuses some of the treated effluent on site to irrigate an existing tree plantation, with the remainder discharged to Congewai Creek.

In 2004, we assessed potential additional recycled water opportunities from the WWTW as part of the Review of Environmental Factors (REF).

A number of studies were conducted covering a variety of perspectives including woodlots, irrigated pastures and crops, and option studies.

The reuse investigations concluded that there was limited potential for a recycled effluent scheme from the plant.

However, we have now commenced additional effluent reuse investigations to review the findings of previous effluent reuse investigations and assess the feasibility of new reuse opportunities.

The results will be incorporated into a sustainable decision making process with the aim of determining the most appropriate solution for the community and environment.

We will be seeking input from the community and other key stakeholders to inform this process.

A decision regarding the most appropriate long-term effluent management strategy for Paxton WWTW is anticipated by the end of 2013.

For more information on the long terms plans for the Paxton WWTW, contact Hunter Water's Project Manager, Lachlan King on (02) 4979 9816.