Bundamba Advanced Water Treatment Plant: Stages 1A and 1B

Abstract

In 2006, Queensland was in the midst of its worst drought on record. Faced with dwindling water reserves and crippling supply restrictions, the Queensland Government, through the offices of the Coordinator General, turned to Thiess Pty Ltd, one of the state’s oldest construction companies, and global water engineering company Black & Veatch to fast-track the delivery of a vital infrastructure project. In a very short and carefully planned 10 months for Stage 1A, the Thiess/Black & Veatch Joint Venture (TBJV) designed, procured, constructed, commissioned and operated the 20 ML/d Stage 1A plant of the Bundamba Advanced Water Treatment Plant. A few months later, TBJV was awarded the Stage 1B contract to increase the capacity of the Stage 1A plant by 50% and build an additional plant with 36 ML/d capacity. The integration of combined Stages 1A and 1B plants increased capacity to 66 ML/d. The project has been acknowledged as world best practice for a project of this type in terms of quality of build, quality of product and sustainability. The project was completed with an excellent safety record: zero lost time injuries. The environmental management was challenging, however, the project has achieved outstanding results of processing purified recycled water and discharging waste to EPA guidelines, with no harm to people or the environment. Working in close proximity to an active community was also a challenge, which was overcome with a strong relationship with the community and the project was delivered without complaints. The successful outcome was due to TBJV’s capability through the formation of a hand-picked team, experienced with world’s best practice in design innovation. Our team has achieved the project vision, despite the public scrutiny and media publicity, and in the process generated interest from industry leaders worldwide and government ministers from Australia and overseas, including Singapore, USA, China and Malaysia.

Key Words:

• ACAA
• Western Corridor
• recycled water
• Bundamba
• Alliance
• drought
• microfiltration
• reverse osmosis
• advanced oxidation
• innovation

Additional information

Notes on contributors

G Atmeh

Gus Atmeh

Gus Atmeh has a significant global experience spanning 30 years, encompassing demonstrated achievements with top tier world contracting companies and leading design and engineering consultancies. During this time, Gus has held various executive roles including General Manager, Operation Manager and Project Director for operations throughout Australia, southeast Asia, USA, and Pacific and Arabian Gulf regions.

Gus holds a Master of Engineering Science in Project Management from the University of New South Wales and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of New Mexico-USA. He is affiliated with the American Society of Civil Engineers and member of Engineers Australia. He is also qualified as a Master Project Director with the Australian Institution of Project Management.

Gus possesses a broad experience in the heavy civil and mechanical engineering industry. His areas of expertise consist of petrochemical, energy, mineral resources, water, transport and marine sectors. He gained his extensive experience in the course of managing operations throughout Australia and the world on major infrastructure, including oil and gas facilities, refineries, ports, storage facilities, powerstations, railways, tollways, wastewater plants and tunnelling.