RO Case Study: Bundamba Advanced Water Treatment Plant

In 2007, the Southeast Queensland region of Australia experienced the worst drought conditions in more than a century. Despite Level 5 water restrictions, the most stringent in the country, the dams in Queensland were predicted to run dry by the end of the decade.

To avoid such a crisis, the Australian government established the Western Corridor Water Recycling Project (WCWRP), the largest recycled water project in the Southern Hemisphere and the third largest in the world, to provide a secure water supply for this rapidly growing, drought prone region.

The WCRWP features three advanced water treatment plants (AWTP) and a network of 190 kilometers of underground pipelines to transport treated recycled water to two power stations for cooling water, and to Lake Wivenhoe to supplement drinking water supplies. Once completed, the WCRWP will have a total capacity of 230 megaliters (mld) per day.