Queensbury upgrade to keep sewer odour at bay

Work is underway on a $1.6 million upgrade of SA Water’s wastewater pump station in Queensbury to improve odour control and support ongoing residential growth.

Located in Adelaide’s western suburbs, the pump station collects more than 15 million litres of sewage each day and pumps it to the utility’s Bolivar Wastewater Treatment Plant where it’s treated and recycled.

The site’s existing odour control unit – which consists of biofilters – will be upgraded as part of the project, along with a realignment of the wastewater main that discharges sewage into the pump station.

SA Water’s General Manager of Sustainable Infrastructure Amanda Lewry said the upgrade will reduce odour naturally released from the network to help minimise the impact on local residents.

“Sewerage infrastructure like our treatment plants or pump stations are often hidden in plain sight to play an essential role in protecting public health, and it’s important we’re making every effort to ensure they exist as seamlessly as possible without impacting our neighbours,” Amanda said.

“Residential growth across the western suburbs means there’s now a larger volume of sewage moving through our pump station in Queensbury, and to reduce network odour for nearby residents, we’re increasing the site’s capacity to extract and treat odour.

“Currently, the pump station’s control unit has four biofilters which harness air to help microorganisms break up the organic material in sewage, removing odorous gas and releasing clean air from the site.

“We’ll be replacing the existing filters, installing two more, and connecting two new activated carbon filters to double the extraction rate of the odour control facility.

“Carbon filters help neutralise smells by trapping molecules in a process called adsorption, with the combined process eliminating around 99.9 per cent of odour to make a real difference for people living near our site.

“As part of the project, we’re also realigning a section of the pipe along Davidson Avenue that brings sewage into the pump station, to relocate the point at which it releases odour, so it’s better contained to the site.

“There is still potential for a slight aroma, particularly on hot and still days, but the upgrades we’re delivering will keep this to a minimum."

The project is expected to be completed by early 2023, with typical construction hours taking place between 7am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Ms Lewry said residents may notice a temporarily heightened odour coming from the site during the project.

“This is as a result of needing to isolate certain equipment while we carry out the upgrades,” Amanda said.

“The transient odour increase is normal and will only persist for the duration of construction, with our long-term solution ensuring the pump station can keep up with the volume of sewage passing through the network.

“Our crews will be taking a two-week pause in construction during the end of year holiday period which will see this increase briefly return to normal, helping minimise the impact on local residents.

“For the safety of our crews and the community, there will also be temporary road closures along the streets surrounding our site, such as Davidson Avenue and Paqualin Street, and we’ll keep people informed as they are required.”

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