Hunter Water has unveiled its new upgrade to the wastewater treatment works at Farley, near Maitland.
It’s come with a price tag of $73 million dollars with the water authority saying it’s the single biggest upgrade to a water treatment facility in the Lower Hunter and will cater for the expected population increases between now and 2032.
The new infrastructure will service a large part of Maitland’s ever-growing population, including 8,000 new and planned homes in Rutherford, Lochinvar and Aberglassyn, together with Bolwarra, Gillieston Heights, Largs, Lorn, Oakhampton and Telarah.
Hunter Water Managing Director, Darren Cleary says the construction footprint has been minimised by way of innovation in design, by merging two structures into one.
“The new design replaces the previous oxidation treatment process with a state-of-the-art membrane bioreactor, combined with biological nutrient removal technology.
“We are investing millions of dollars in upgrades at wastewater treatment plants across the region, including Cessnock, Raymond Terrace, Toronto and Tanilba Bay,” Mr Cleary said.
Redundant infrastructure is now being decommissioned onsite, with that work expected to be completed by late 2022.