Construction has commenced on Hunter Water’s biggest water infrastructure project since the upgrade of Grahamstown Dam.
The first sod has been turned at the site set to become Hunter Water’s new Belmont desalination plant.
Once operational, the NSW plant will convert seawater to drinking water through a process known as desalination. The plant will intake seawater from a pipeline roughly 1km offshore, with the water then undergoing pre-treatment and reverse osmosis to eliminate salt and other particles. Finally, the fresh water will be treated to meet Australian drinking water standards.
Approximately 42 per cent of seawater becomes drinking water in a typical desalination process. The remaining seawater concentrate is pumped back into the sea, where it dispersed using specially designed diffusers which return the seawater concentrate to normal salinity levels.
The $530 million plant is expected to add up to 30 million litres per day of rainfall-independent water supply to the Lower Hunter’s water system. This accounts for roughly 15 per cent of the region’s average daily water needs.
Critically, this will help improve the resilience of the overall system and reduce the rate that water storages deplete in severe drought by roughly six months.
In celebration of the construction, Hunter Water Managing Director Darren Cleary was pleased to welcome Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley and Lake Macquarie Mayor Adam Shultz to the Belmont site.
“This project will shore up a quality water supply for our growing region,” Catley said.
“There has been strong community calls for a reliable, safe and sustainable water source and that’s exactly what we’re delivering.
“I am pleased the construction phase will support many local jobs over the next four years and once operational, the plant will be powered by renewable energy.”
Minister for Water Rose Jackson said she was pleased to see work commence on such significant infrastructure for the region.
“The Lower Hunter is part of the largest regional economy in the nation. However, it faces heightened vulnerability to drought,” she said.
“This $530 million investment will bolster the region’s resilience and improve its capacity to manage drought risks in the future.
“Desalination offers the significant benefit of being a water source that doesn’t rely on rainfall, so it can provide a safe and reliable supply, regardless of the climate.
“It’s great to see Hunter Water move into the construction phase, advancing efforts to meet the region’s growing needs in an ever-changing climate.”
NSW experienced a severe drought from 2017–2020, leading the government to – among a number of other measures – develop the Lower Hunter water security plan to ensure future water security in the region.
Currently, in a severe drought, Lower Hunter storage levels can drop to critical levels in about three years. If a drought continues longer, the region could run out of water. A changing climate and population growth also present a challenge to the current system. But the whole-of-government plan seeks to avert this scenario by mapping out an approach to water security for the next 40 years.
Getting the priorities in order
First and foremost, the water security plan prioritises ensuring safe drinking water, which Hunter Water will achieve through catchment management and maintaining a multiple-barrier approach to water supply.
The second priority is to make the most of what’s available. Here, the water corporation is increasing investment to support the Lower Hunter community to reduce water use by an ambitious 17 per cent, in addition to investing in reducing network leaks. This will be further supported by increasing recycled water use by 1.3 billion litres through a range of initiatives and continuing to share water with the Central Coast via the Hunter-Central Coast connection.
Thirdly, Hunter Water is looking to improve the resilience of the system through new infrastructure such as the Belmont desalination plant and the planned Lostock Dam-Glennies Creek Dam pipeline, both of which will increase water supply to the region.
The final priority focuses on strategic water planning which bears in mind the cultural and communal value of the resource.
With construction of the Belmont desalination plant already kicked off, Hunter Water is already on its way to delivering long-term water security to the region.
This feature also appears in the March edition of The Australian Pipeliner.
