Multi-million dollar sewage treatment plant upgrade completed

The Aubinville Sewage Treatment Plant in Maryborough has undergone a multi-million dollar modernisation to improve its reliability and meet the needs of our growing community.

Fraser Coast Regional Councillor Paul Truscott said more than $26 million had been spent revamping the 80-year-old plant over the past four years, with the works completed this month.

“The Aubinville Sewage Treatment Plant upgrades improve the reliability and efficiency of the plant, improve the quality of the treatment and reduce odour,” he said.

“A key priority for Council is to effectively manage and maintain our assets, and plan for the future.

“These upgrades demonstrate Council’s commitment to managing waste sustainably and reducing our environmental impact, all while meeting the needs of our growing community.”

Key upgrades at the Aubinville Sewage Treatment Plant include:

• New boiler, digester jet mixing system, dewatering unit and chemical dosing system;
• New control room overseeing the entire plant with a new laboratory for testing;
• Complete refurbishment of the two secondary settling tanks, including the installation of a new sludge pumping station;
• Upgrade of ladders, stairs, handrails, platforms and walkways to current standards;
• New raw sewage pumping station and new inlet works to improve screenings and remove materials and grit; and
• New trade waste/septic tanker receival system with a state-of-the-art biological odour treatment unit.

Cr Truscott said the plant had also undergone a major electrical upgrade with a new sitewide control system developed to improve equipment integration and automation.

“We’ve installed a new backup generator to ensure that the plant can continue operating if mains power is disrupted such as during floods, which have caused blackouts in the past,” he said.

“We’ve also done road works on Errol Street to improve access and make it safer for tankers, and boundary fencing has been replaced for enhanced security.

“It’s a credit to Council staff and contractors that normal operations were maintained at the sewage treatment plant during the extensive refurbishment works.”

The Aubinville Sewage Treatment Plant serves more than 23,000 residents, and commercial and industrial properties connected to the sewage collection system in Maryborough, with the plant receiving 1925 megalitres of raw sewage for treatment in 2022/23.