September 2008

Pimpama Wastewater Treatment Plant is operational!

The Gold Coast’s newest wastewater treatment plant at Pimpama has been fully commissioned and is treating wastewater for the rapidly growing region and producing Class B recycled water.

It is now undergoing a 14 day testing period to ensure it is operating within the required standards.

The adjacent Pimpama Recycled Water Plant is also nearing completion and is undergoing mechanical and electrical commissioning. Once the Recycled Water Plant is complete, the plant will undergo a period of performance testing followed by a mandatory 13 week proving period to ensure consistent production of high quality Class A+ recycled water.

When this proving period data satisfies requirements of Council and State Regulatory authorities, Class A+ recycled water will be delivered to the Pimpama Coomera community early in 2009.

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PCWF Master Plan claims second place for world water award

The Pimpama Coomera Waterfuture (PCWF) Master Plan has received global recognition at the International Water Association’s Water Congress.

The PCWF Master Plan was awarded runner up in the Practical Realisation of Sustainable Urban Water Management category.

The nomination follows considerable international success for the PCWF Master Plan.

In 2006 the PCWF Master Plan was awarded the ‘Global Grand Prize’ for water planning at the IWA’s Project Innovation Awards. In 2007 the PCWF Master Plan also won the United Nation’s (Australian chapter) World Environment Day Awards for ‘excellence in water management’.

The international Water Association hosts the World Water Congress every two years, attracting around 3,000 leading water industry researchers and practitioners.

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National Water Week 19-25 October

National Water Week is an initiative designed to raise awareness and assist the community to take action - to protect and conserve our precious water resources and habitats.

Gold Coast Water is undertaking a series of events to celebrate National Water Week and promote protection, rehabilitation and improvement of our water environments.

During September, Gold Coast Water will launch the ‘Make your water mark!’ Watersaver Education Program to all schools on the Gold Coast. Gold Coast Water has been working closely with Griffith University and EnviroCom Australia to produce the Middle and Secondary education packages - which are the first of their kind for south east Queensland.

The Gold Coast Water Watersaver Educational trailer and Garden Display will be at the following locations to provide information on new initiatives, water restrictions and water saving tips:

• Burleigh Heads Bunning's
  Saturday 18 October 8am – 2pm
  
• Southport Bunning's
  Saturday 8 November 9am – 1pm
  

‘Gardens Alive’ will be held at the Ashmore Road Botanical Gardens from 10am until 2pm on Sunday 19 October. Residents can learn about sustainable gardening, weeds, composting and worm farming, drought tolerant native species and garden water saving devices. It will be a fun day for all ages and will incorporate children's activities, competitions and prizes for visitors. For more information phone 55 82 8211 or contact gcccmail@goldcoast.qld.gov.au.

For more information on National Water Week, click here.

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Non-residential customers can apply for Class A+ recycled water

Whilst Class A+ recycled water will be plumbed to all new developments in the PCWF Master Plan region, pre-existing developments will continue to use drinking water for all purposes.

Pre-existing non-residential customers in the Master Plan area may wish to connect to Class A+ recycled water mains for non-drinking purposes. Similarly dual reticulated non-residential customers may wish to apply for additional recycled water supply beyond the standard allocation (toilet flushing and minimal outdoor use).  These customers can apply for connection, or additional supply, by submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI) to Gold Coast Water.

This EOI would be assessed to determine whether the request could be serviced by GCW. Considerations to be considered by GCW include:

• Cost (to be borne by the non-residential customer)
• Water saving potential
• Engineering considerations
• Compliance with relevant guidelines and legislation
• Available supply.

The EOI process is presently in draft format and has not been finalised, but preliminary expressions of interest can be made through Gold Coast Water's Recycled Water webpage. Find out more ...

For further information on the treatment process used to create Class A+ recycled water, please see our ‘Recycled water in Pimpama Coomera’ fact sheet (Adobe PDF 1.1mb).

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Living with WSUD in Pimpama Coomera

Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) is a unique approach for managing stormwater and is common throughout new developments in the Pimpama Coomera region. WSUD uses engineered landscaping features to help slow, reduce and filter stormwater run-off and improve environmental outcomes for Moreton Bay. WSUD includes:

• Rainwater tanks – efficiently capture rainwater for household re-use and reduce stormwater flows to surrounding waterways and Moreton Bay.
• Stone or grass swales – used in place of concrete guttering to slow, reduce and clean stormwater. Some swales have perforated underground pipework to transport excess water to a discharge point.
• Drainage (retention) ponds – retention ponds act as natural ponds to capture stormwater before release.
• Drainage (detention) ponds – detention ponds are generally dry, and act as temporary storage ponds that trap excess stormwater after heavy rainfall. This storage reduces run-off by allowing extra time for stormwater to soak into the ground.

Constructed wetlands and retention ponds replicate natural aquatic environments and have established eco-systems including fish, frogs and tadpoles that eat mosquito larvae and prevent breeding.

The weight of vehicles can damage underground pipework, so please ensure you do not drive across them.

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Plan to secure Coomera’s place in city future

Council is set to endorse a plan which will secure Coomera Town Centre as a major development area for the Gold Coast.

The Coomera Town Centre Structure Plan will ensure one of Australia’s fastest growing regions is developed in a sustainable and orderly manner.

The Structure Plan also outlines development of a transit-oriented centre that will serve the needs of the growing community.

After Council has considered the Structure Plan, it will be referred to the State Government for comment.

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New schools for Pimpama Coomera region

The continued growth of the Pimpama Coomera region has seen the State Government open a number of new schools.

The $12 million Coomera Springs State School is set to grow over the coming years and initially caters for more than 200 primary school students.

The $15.8 million Park Lake State School was opened in August and will cater for 250 students from prep to year six.

Both schools use extensive stormwater harvesting systems to provide water for toilet flushing and external uses.

Further schools are planned to be opened in the region within the next 12 months.

Visit the Coomera Springs State School or the Park Lake State School website for more information.

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What is the Pimpama Coomera Waterfuture (PCWF) Master Plan?

The PCWF Master Plan aims to secure a sustainable water future for residents of the 7,700 hectare Pimpama Coomera region by significantly reducing the use of precious drinking water. It is Australia’s largest integrated urban water cycle management program.

High quality Class A+ recycled water will be produced at a new recycled water plant in Pimpama. Class A+ recycled water will be supplied via a separate pipe network for non-drinking purposes such as toilet flushing, garden watering, car washing and external cleaning.

Rainwater tanks supply the cold water laundry tap and one optional external tap. Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) uses engineered landscaping features to help slow, reduce and filter stormwater run-off and improve environmental outcomes for Moreton Bay. Download the diagram illustrating how homes in Pimpama Coomera will use multiple water sources. (Adobe PDF 243kb)

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Gold Coast pipes water to Logan City

Gold Coast City Council has begun supplying 20 million litres of water each day to Logan City as part of the State Government’s Water Amendment Regulation.

As a result, pumping stations have been upgraded and new pipelines and pumps have been installed to align the treatment processes of the Wivenhoe and Hinze dams.

To ensure water quality remains high, Council is carefully managing the treatment processes to ensure there are no changes to the taste and odour of water.

Gold Coast Water will test the water supplied to Logan City to ensure it meets Logan Water’s quality specifications. However, once the water is within the Logan Water Network, it becomes Logan City Council’s responsibility to ensure water quality meets Australian guidelines.

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Your input welcome

Your input to this publication is valued! If you have any local news, information or events that you would like included in this community eNewsletter, please contact us at info@pcwf.net.au.

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© 2008 Gold Coast City Council