Treatment plant out of action until late May

Gosford Council's groundwater treatment plant in Woy Woy is expected to be out of action until late May.

According to Council's water and sewer operations manager Mr Michael Redrup, the plant at the Council's depot in Gallipoli Ave was constructed initially as an emergency supply at the height of the drought.

"To meet the urgent timeline due to the drought, the plant was constructed with minimal sophistication in terms of flow control," he said.

"As the water storage at the region's dams has improved, the opportunity is being taken to improve the level of control and sophistication of the plant to meet ongoing operational needs.

"Improvements are being made to the plant inlet to improve the consistency of water being fed into the system and also to reduce the number of bore field pump starts.

"These works will result in the treated water being of an improved quality due to a more consistent flow-rate through the plant.

"Improvements are also being made to the disinfection system to make it more robust, requiring less intervention by staff.

"The current upgrades require highly specialised equipment with very long lead times.

"These lead times determine the scheduling of the upgrade works," said Mr Redrup.

Media Statement, 22 Feb 2013

Michael Redrup, Gosford Council