Members of the community will have the opportunity to tour the new water treatment plant servicing residents in Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest.

A community tour is being held at the plant on Thursday October 23 and MidCoast Water is planning to operate a number of tours for the community on the day.

The tours will give residents an opportunity to see the $18 million facility which has improved both the quality and reliability of the water supply in the area and reduced discolouration problems.

MidCoast Water will be offering a tour of the facility on Thursday October 23, at 9.30am.

Bookings are essential.

“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,” MidCoast Water’s
general manager Robert Loadsman said.

Mr Loadsman said the new plant is capable of treating up to eight million litres of water each day. Water for the plant is drawn 10 bores tapping the aquifer 22 metres below the surface.

“The groundwater supply is naturally acidic due to its carbon dioxide content and has high soluble iron concentrations, which while not a health concern, can cause discolouration that can stain laundry. The groundwater is also very soft and requires balancing to
restore alkalinity.”

The new treatment plant treats the groundwater by dosing with pre-treatment chemicals to stabilise the water and remove the iron and aluminium naturally present in the groundwater.

Water will then be aerated and screened to remove coarse particles before proceeding to membrane microfiltration.

“The plant uses primary and secondary pressure membranes and a sophisticated control system to ensure a constant supply of high
quality treated water,” Mr Loadsman explained.

The water produced by the new Tea Gardens Water Treatment Plant is chlorinated and will be fluoridated to NSW Health requirements over the coming months.