Construction of a Sewerage Treatment Plant at Eurong Rangers Station Fraser Island

BACKGROUND:
The Eurong Rangers Station is located on the eastern coast of Fraser Island approximately 35 km north of Inskip Point and 1 km north of the Eurong Village. The station is currently served by a Common Effluent Drainage (CED) system with primary effluent from a number of individual septic tanks draining to a central sand filter sewage treatment plant (STP). Treated effluent is disposed of by irrigation within the site. The existing system is complex and not meeting design requirements.
QPWS has identified the need to either upgrade or replace the plant.

OBJECTIVES:
The design objective for the wastewater treatment system is to provide a reliable and simple to operate plant to treat the site wastewater to a suitable standard for irrigation to protect public health and the environment. The objective for the overall wastewater management system is to provide for treated effluent disposal by irrigation in a way that has no adverse environmental impact.
The specific objectives of this project are to:
– EITHER provide a new plant to replace the existing sand filter system, OR upgrade the existing system to meet the design requirements
– Provide a plant that is simple to operate taking into account the skills level of local staff
– Meet wastewater load requirements from the site taking into account the seasonal variations in staff numbers and wastewater flows
– Meet environmental / regulatory objectives with respect to treated water quality and irrigation area
– Provide a plant suitable for the local conditions, ie remote location, limited and unreliable power supply, limited local skills, limited access to specialist maintenance crews, borewater supply quality and aggressive and sandy coastal environment
– Meet the treated effluent quality targets with minimal operator input and minimal reliance on chemicals.