Congratulations to the Bundamba Advanced Water Treatment Plant

In April 2008, Stage 1A of the Bundamba AWTP in Queensland, Australia was awarded “Global Water Project of the Year” at an awards ceremony held in London. The Bundamba AWTP is a key part of the AU$2.4b Western Corridor Recycled Water (WCRW) Project that will provide an alternative water supply for industry and power generation in the region. The plant, which was delivered in half the time of the world’s best practice in the industry, was one of four facilities short-listed to receive this award.

The Bundamba AWTP was awarded this prestigious title based on the quality of the technology used in the plant, which included Memcor membrane filtration systems supplied by Siemens Water Technologies, and because the plant was part of an innovative and sustainable solution to growing water scarcity in South-east Queensland at the time, which opened the minds of the general public to the possibilities of water reuse. 

The project was delivered as an alliance contract between the Thiess / Black & Veatch Joint Venture and the Queensland Government Department of Infrastructure. The completed WCRW project will supply 232 megalitres a day (MLD) of purified recycled water to supplement dwindling supplies in South-eastern Queensland. It uses membrane filtration, reverse osmosis and a final oxidation process that combines ultraviolet light and hydrogen peroxide to re-purify treated wastewater. Significantly, the treated water will be supplied to the Swanbank and Tarong power generation stations to reduce demand on potable water resources.

The project team’s achievements have also been recognized with the following awards:

• 2008 International Public Relations Association Event Management Award
• 2008 Construction Management Association of America International Project of the Year
• 2008 Construction Management Association of America Project Achievement Award - Regional and Global Level
• 2008 International Water Association Project Innovation Awards (Design Category) East Asia and Pacific Region - Honor Award
• 2008 Australian Construction Achievement Awards - Finalist
• 2008 International Association of Business Communicators Special Events Communication Management Division - Silver Award
• 2008 Engineers Australia (QLD Division) Excellence Award for Project Management
• 2008 Engineering Australia Environmental Engineering Excellence Award

Joint Venture Project Director Gus Atmeh said, “The project team was able to transform their vision into a reality by harnessing the collective abilities of the hand-picked industry-leading international team. This team worked collaboratively with vendors and suppliers to provide an innovatively engineered, sustainable solution to South-eastern Queensland’s water shortage. They accomplished this through the safe delivery of a world-class recycled water asset in record time, producing the needed quantity and quality of water that met all legislative and environmental requirements.”

WCRW CEO Keith Davies stated, “The Global Water Project of the Year award represented a ringing endorsement by the global infrastructure fraternity. Judges praised the quality of technology used in the plant, and described the membrane filtration systems supplied by Siemens, and the reverse osmosis system supplied by a competitor, as a ’technical masterpiece.’ The project has consistently reflected the high standard of professionalism required of a world class effort.”

Read the water recycle case study

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