Brighton Service Centre
Kubota MBBR wastewater treatment system a first for Tasmania
PROJECT DETAILS
Location:
Brighton, Tasmania
Product:
20kL Kubota HCZ to subsurface drip irrigation
Capability:
Consult, design, and construct STP
Engineering consultants Pitt & Sherry engaged True Water to create a new wastewater treatment system for the United Service Centre in Brighton, Tasmania. Service stations are a key part of our society. This service centre is on one of Tasmania’s busiest highways, with over 22,000 vehicles travelling daily. Just 27 kilometres north of Hobart, the petrol station is a service for both Brighton Road and the Midlands Highway. The Brighton Service Centre has a fuel station, public amenities and two fast food outlets.
In order to design a fit for purpose wastewater treatment system, True Water looked into all aspects of the project. This includes assessing the site constraints and identifying the key requirements of regulators. With no access to municipal sewage treatment infrastructure, the developer had to look at alternative solutions. The option to store wastewater and then pump to an offsite location for treatment was discarded due to the prohibitive cost. Consequently, the most cost-effective plan of action was to deliver an onsite wastewater treatment system.
For this project, an area of 100m2 to the south-east of the main development was allocated for onsite treatment and disposal. True Water designed, manufactured, and installed a wastewater treatment management system for the project. The solution utilises two Kubota HCZ50 Sewage Treatment Plants. The design is tailored to meet the individual needs of the site. This wastewater management system is the first of its kind to be installed in Tasmania. True Water’s consultancy team underwent a rigorous process to have the system approved by the Tasmanian government regulators.
Components of the wastewater treatment system were prefabricated in our workshop for easy transport to the site in Tasmania and an efficient installation.
Rock blasting was required on this site in Tasmania to prepare the area for the modular treatment plants, pumpwell and EQ tanks to be installed below ground.
Prefabricated concrete tanks were lifted into place to serve as the solid separate chamber and delivery pump well to the treatment chain.
The base of the excavation is levelled and compacted to form a solid base for the Kubota treatment plants.
The lightweight, modular Kubotat sewage treatment plants are the first of their kind to be installed in Tasmania.
The compact Kubota HCZ50 systems will deliver a high level of treatment for the site at Brighton.
Once the installation of the treatment system is complete, it is disappears into the landscape, out of site and mind of the customers using the site.
Subsurface drip irrigation was installed to the specific design to ensure a consistent dispersal of the treated effluent.
The land application area is designed to fit within the confines of the service station design within the borders of their green spaces.
The land application area is designed to fit within the confines of the service station design within the borders of their green spaces.
True Water's CONNECTmi controller system regulates the treatment flow with support from the real time monitoring provided by the TELEmi telemetry system installed on the site.
The system is unobtrusive yet easy to access via the gas tight lids for scheduled servicing.
Special characteristics of service station wastewater
Service stations generate highly concentrated wastewater. While the influent is similar in composition to domestic type influent, the concentrations of contaminants and nutrients are much higher due to the reduced ratio of showers and laundry facilities to toilets and kitchens. The wastewater is defined by highly variable flows, high ammonia content, and high FOG (fat, oil, and grease). This is due to the provision of fast food outlets, truck stops, laundry facilities and amenities.
The system design includes a grease arrestor that helps manage onsite food waste that is high in fats and oils. Grease arrestors reduce the quantity of fats and oils entering the sewage treatment plant. While grease arrestors help manage the issue, the tendency of fast food tenants to generate high levels of fat means there are high concentrations of the influent entering the treatment chain.
Importantly, the use of high-strength chemical cleaners in large quantities needs to be managed. Onsite sewage treatment systems can’t cope with excess chemical loading. It’s vital that what goes down the drain doesn’t harm the system or hurt the balance of the biological treatment process.
Receiving approval from Brighton Council
To manage wastewater treatment systems and protect the public and environment, every state in Australia has legislation. Each state and local council area has different requirements. Brighton Council required a high level of documentation, and proof that the system would work within the sites constraints. As part of the Council’s process, True Water were asked to engage a third-party engineer to review all plans. In addition, we organised a peer review from another engineer to help facilitate the approval.
One of the most important tasks that True Water had to complete was to educate the council about the Kubota MBBR Treatment Plant. Kubota systems exceed Australian industry regulations. The systems use advanced technology to achieve the highest level wastewater treatment. These Japanese designed systems use a Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MMBR) treatment to treat to Class A effluent for disposal to the environment. With True Water’s involvement, experience and knowledge in the industry, the developer gained approval for the system.
“Delivering the first Kubota 20kL wastewater treatment plant in Tasmania was great. There aren’t many large onsite STP’s in Tasmania so Council was very cautious in the assessment and approval. True Water engaged with State Government and the Local Council as well as Council’s third party engineers to secure a really good outcome for all parties. The Kubota system will deliver reliable operation and long-term compliance for the United Service Centre. The quality of design and manufacture hopefully sets a benchmark for Tasmania and helps the industry improve”.
Jim Mahoney,
True Water Australia | Director | Design & Consultancy Group
The importance of considering soil and climate
Brighton Service Station has shallow soils over bedrock. This is important to consider when designing the effluent management area and the method of dispersal. True Water determined that Tertiary Treatment of the wastewater would provide Class A effluent for dispersal into the environment. Due to the low rainfall and limited area available for Land Application of effluent, True Water chose sub-surface irrigation. This was the most cost-effective way of dispersing the effluent to the environment within the land constraints.
In addition, the underlying bedrock needed an extra element of skill to prepare for the installation. The excavations required for the STP and connecting infrastructure needed to be blasted out. This was completed before True Water arrived onsite and had to be precise. A high level of communication between True Water, the client, and the civil contractors was vital to complete the work.
Check out this video link from Becon Constructions to see the blasting on-site:
https://www.facebook.com/beconconstructions/videos/555348228719134/?t=6
Tasmania’s first Kubota MBBR wastewater system is a success
The installation of the Kubota wastewater treatment system in Brighton was a first for the industry in Tasmania. Is is a complete success. True Water designed and placed an advanced and reliable wastewater treatment system. It has a long life span and requires minimal maintenance. Remote telemetry monitoring of the system delivered by TELEmi will allow real time asset management. Our skilled service technicians will also complete scheduled quarterly servicing to maintain the system’s compliance.
Identifying the site’s requirements, the stakeholder’s needs and government regulations, has an impact on the final design. True Water understands that the value of these needs differs. For example, one project might have strict time constraints whereas another project may be seeking a more environmentally friendly solution. This is what makes each project unique. True Water enjoys meeting each client’s individual needs in a timely manner while delivery on quality. All our wastewater treatment solutions are fit for purpose and designed by the specific needs of each project.
Contact our team today to discuss your project.