Synopsis

Australians have come to expect high-quality wastewater services.

The industry is facing various challenges, such as ageing infrastructure, fluctuating energy prices, environmental risks, and regulatory changes. Overcoming these issues will require a shift in collaboration, planning, and decision-making. Failure to do so will lead to a decline in service quality with higher costs. Now is the time for industry, government, and regulators to advocate proven wastewater technologies.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics recorded a significant surge in people relocating to regional areas in 2020-21, with a total of 70,900 individuals making the move.

A third of the country’s residents, or 8.2 million people, now live outside the eight metropolitan cities. Therefore, municipal sewage infrastructure is urgently needed to protect health and the environment in small, rural, and remote communities. However, small-to-medium-scale sewage treatment systems are often unfeasible to build and operate. This can lead to non-compliance and environmental pollution.

For over 150 years, the centralised infrastructure model has been utilised to manage raw sewage.

Wastewater from one or multiple catchments is transported long distances to a central location for treatment before discharge. However, this model is often fraught with economic challenges from both CAPEX and OPEX perspectives. Moreover, it fails to provide any social benefits and can result in adverse environmental outcomes.

We collaborate with important stakeholders, providing high-quality treatment plants for small communities, satellite communities, and the urban fringe (0-5000Ep). Our innovative wastewater configurations provide viable long-term infrastructure. This delivers exceptional lifecycle benefits, minimises operating costs, and secures environmental sustainability.