Commercial Holiday Units at Summa Breeze

Multi-title properties always present a challenge. Even in the most accessible and practical location, the necessity to produce a high-volume, networked system to service multiple properties while adhering to regulations and being sensitive to all recreational and residential areas is a significant logistical challenge.

Summa Breeze Holiday Units
Yellow Rock Road
Raleigh, NSW

The Summa Breeze Holiday Units featured the additional factor of environmental sensitivity to True Water Austalia, the site located on the banks of the Bellinger River.

The 4,200 litre-per-day system posed a very real potential of being a major environmental threat, so it was essential to provide a secure, reliable, contained system without risking the delicate ecosystem.

Added to all of this, there was the issue of the rapidly-failing existing system. Time was of the essence and the aversion, containment and removal of the existing system was a significant challenge within itself.

Overview

The close proximity of the facility to the Bellinger River was first and foremost on the agenda. Both legally and ethically, it was essential to protect this beautiful waterway. The system’s location lay just 30 metres from the shoreline, so additional networking would be required to dispose of waste a significant distance from the river.

Being an area with a high water table and prone to flooding, it was essential to install the highest quality, secure unit to protect against failure and the subsequent environmental damage.

The unit, which would need to process a large load across the 12 properties, was not only subject to all the usual legal requirements but also drew the concerns, attention and scrutiny of the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Fisheries and Aquaculture department, the region housing several oyster farms as well as a sensitive ecosystem.

Lastly, due to an upcoming busy holiday period, an influx of tourists and residents diminished th window of opportunity for the installation significantly.

Solution

The installation of an advanced secondary treatment system, combined with nutrient removal and disinfection received fast-track approval from the local council and DPI, being a high-quality treatment process. All electrical components were installed well above the mean flood level, assuring their safety and continued operation in extenuating circumstances.

A compact, single-tank treatment system was utilised to account for the available area, the depth to groundwater levels and aesthetics. This also allowed for minimal excavation, saving cost and preventing any major groundwater ingress, while standby pumps were incorporated into the system for draining the groundwater throughout the installation.

Conclusion

This project was a great challenge that was overcome by thorough planning, coordination and experience by True Water Australia. The current system was requiring drainage on a weekly basis and would not have coped with the peak Christmas period only days away.

True Water Australia scheduled machine operator, technician, labour, deliveries to site, drainage, concrete truck and electrician on the last working days of the year which posed its own problem.

One other crucial factor that was successfully taken into account was low tide: True Water Australia had to install precisely low tide to achieve the best result with minimal risk.

A great result was achieved, the area required was ¼ of that used by the existing failed system, and the system passed the challenging test of the influx of usage over the Christmas period and beyond without issue. A high quality, high environmental standard was achieved and surpassed.