Updated February 6, 2022
Due to the successive flooding and the unavailability of bitumen installers, also owing to the floods, and the Christmas break, completion of Gunnedah Shire Council's $8 million Water Treatment Plant on Kelvin Road is now anticipated in mid-February 2023. The timeframe of the project has not had an impact on Gunnedah’s water supply.
The major components of the facility, including the two 1 mega-litre concrete reservoirs, are constructed and all electrical work has been completed. The facility building, which houses the fluoride and chlorine dosing stations, is at lock-up stage, the final fit-out is almost complete and hydraulic testing is under way.
The new plant will allow for consistent water treatment across Gunnedah and Curlewis. It will also allow for the introduction of fluoridation to improve dental hygiene as recommended by the National Health and Medical Research Council.
NSW Health is meeting $7.4 million of the cost of the plant through an agreement to provide a centralised centre that will include the new fluoridation system and a more modern gas chlorination system. Modelling for the new centre has been based on Gunnedah Shire’s heaviest days of water usage – in the midst of the drought – and then expanded again to ensure this facility has the capability to deal with the potential demand.
The work is being carried out by contractor Gongues Construction Pty Ltd, and as Council has previously reported in media releases, there have been some rain delays, but the timeframe of the project has not had an impact on Gunnedah’s water supply.
While the facility is expected to be in operation shortly, the start of fluoridation is a longer process with testing, training and final approvals needed before this can begin. Fluoridation is expected to get under way in early 2023.
Fast facts:
- The new centre will include two 1 ML concrete reservoirs.
- It can treat a maximum of 20 ML per day, and 232 litres per second.
- Gunnedah’s peak water usage came at the height of the drought in late 2019, with use of about 15 ML per day.
