A planned upgrade to the Nabiac Water Treatment Plant and expansion of the Nabiac borefield will increase the drought security of the Manning water supply system. Additional bores will be installed at the borefield and the plant’s treatment capacity will be upgraded from 12 megalitres per day to 18 megalitres per day.
Background of the project
To meet the requirements of the Manning drought response strategy, the Nabiac aquifer water supply system needs to be capable of producing up to 18 megalitres of water per day. This requires additional bores to be installed at the borefield and the treatment capacity of the Nabiac Water Treatment Plant to be upgraded from 12 megalitres per day to 18 megalitres per day.
There are also no backup measures in place to protect against the failure of key components at the plant. This could have significant consequences during a drought if the plant was unable to continuously produce water.
Details of the project
Five bores will be installed on the western side of the borefield, along with the pipework required to distribute the water to the treatment plant. The locations of these bores were selected after modelling showed they were likely to deliver the highest and most reliable flows of all the sites considered on the borefield.
At the water treatment plant, an additional raw water feed pump and two additional membrane filtration racks will be installed and a number of modifications will be completed to ensure the plant can treat up to 18 megalitres per day.
Several key components will also be duplicated to ensure the treatment plant can continue to run if an existing component fails. This will involve the construction of a second pre-treatment tank and aeration tower and a second treated water reservoir, along with the installation of a second membrane treatment system.
What are the benefits once the project is completed?
The project will significantly increase the drought security of the Manning water supply system and reduce the community’s reliance on the Manning River.
Duplicating key components of the plant will also improve its operational reliability and ensure it can continue to supply water to the community if a failure with an existing component occurs.
Funding
The Nabiac borefield expansion has been made possible thanks to $1.47 million of funding from the Australian Government.
The NSW Government has contributed $8.5 million to the Manning Water Supply System Drought Response Stage 2 Project through the Regional Capital Stimulus Program.
