It's a dirty job, but when it comes to sewerage in Logan, the Loganholme Water Pollution Control Centre does it better than most.
Logan City Councillors recently inspected the plant, to gauge the progress of the seventh stage of an augmentation project that will increase design capacity from 42 mega litres per day to 56.5 mega litres of effluent per day.
City Governance, Finance and Water Committee Chairperson, Councillor Luke Smith said a newly retrofitted oxidation ditch had helped the plant reduce nitrogen and phosphorus levels by nearly half, leading to dramatic improvements in water quality.
"What we're essentially doing is increasing the amount of air that we can provide bacteria to break down raw sewerage and increase the capacity of the existing infrastructure by about 40 per cent, rather than spending a lot more money increasing the plant's environmental footprint," he said.
"If you were to establish a new treatment plant you would be paying $4 to $5 million per mega
litre, this one is coming in at $1 million per mega litre."
When the augmentation process is complete in June or July next year, the plant will gain 24.5 mega litres per day of new capacity as well as improved water quality, enabling it to sewer the Park Ridge Development area and possibly transfer some of the Beenleigh catchment to relieve pressure on its existing plant.
Cr Smith said Logan residents would benefit from a Water Pollution Control system that was both reliable and energy efficient.
"The $27.5 million that Logan City Council is pouring into the Loganholme Water Pollution Control Centre will ensure it is well equipped to cope with our city's rapid growth and is money very well spent," he said.