Construction of the Kooragang Industrial Water Scheme (KIWS) in New South Wales, Australia, is to be carried out by Abigroup under an Aus$ 40 million (US$ 40 million) contract.
The wastewater reuse project is part of the program of works undertaken by the Hunter Treatment Alliance, a partnership formed in 2009 of Abigroup, CH2MHill and Hunter Water Corporation.
The 9,000 m³/d project will involve diversion of treated effluent from the existing effluent pipeline for Shortland Wastewater Treatment Works to a new Advanced Water Treatment Plant (AWTP) at Steel River. The AWTP will use membrane microfiltration and reverse osmosis to produce high-quality recycled water which will then be transported to industrial customers on Kooragang Island via a new 8 km pipeline.
Provision is included for a future expansion to 12,000 m³/d. The project includes an on-site education centre building, discharge and return water pipelines and the design, construction and commissioning of all telemetry and control systems for the scheme.
Under the Lower Hunter Recycled Water Initiative, the Kooragang Industrial Water Scheme will lift Hunter Water’s wastewater recycling rate from 9.6% to around 15% by 2014. Upon completion, it will be the largest recycled water project in the Lower Hunter securing additional water supply to enable critical regional growth.
Design work is set to start in May 2012 with site mobilisation anticipated in December 2012. The project is expected to be completed by mid-2014.