Members of the Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest community took the opportunity to find out a little more about the area’s water supply last week.

Marcelle Boyling  from Midcoast Water said, “Almost 30 members of the community toured MidCoast Water’s Tea Gardens Water Treatment Plant, and learn about the water treatment process.”

“The tour was led by two of the plant operators and provided an informative overview of the process the water goes through between being extracted from the aquifer and making its way to customers’ taps,” she said.

The new plant which is capable of treating up to eight million litres of water each day,  has improved water quality for Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest residents and addressed problems with iron staining.

The Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest area draws its water supply from a borefield to the north west of Tea Gardens.

A total of 10 bores tap the aquifer 22 metres below the surface at a two hectare site near Viney Creek.

The groundwater supply has always presented MidCoast Water with treatment problems, as it is naturally acidic and has high soluble iron concentrations.

While this is not a health concern, it can cause discolouration that can stain laundry.

The new treatment plant uses primary and secondary pressure membranes, supplied by Pall Australia, and a sophisticated control system, which will ensure a constant supply of high quality treated water.

As well as the new membranes the project to improve the water supply for Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest has included the construction of new aerators, balance tanks, a new rising main, pumping station and chlorination facilities to ensure disinfection.

MidCoast Water’s general manager Robert Loadsman said, “We are very pleased this facility is operational.”

“It has resulted in a great improvement in water quality for our customers in the Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest area, as well as the many visitors the area hosts over the summer period,” he said.

 

 

 

Ken Collins, Ros Reynolds, Lyn Reid, Arthur Gray, Lynette Day, Roy Day, Bev Campbell and Syd Campbell.JPG