Wamuran Irrigation Scheme

As part of our commitment to long-term sustainable water supply in our region, Unitywater is building the Wamuran Irrigation Scheme. This recycled water scheme will provide year-round water security for a number of Wamuran growers while sustainably managing wastewater from the Caboolture South Sewage Treatment Plant (STP).

The Wamuran Irrigation Scheme will divert Class A recycled water from the Caboolture South STP to farms, to be safely irrigated onto turf and crops, giving those participating in the Scheme greater certainty for crop planting and enabling them to expand their operations.

The Scheme will not only supply high quality recycled water to growers in our region but will also help us meet our 2050 sustainability goals of zero nutrients into our waterways and 100% reuse of recycled wastewater.

More about the Scheme

In its first stages, the Scheme will deliver about 2.6 gigalitres of recycled water per year – the equivalent of 1051 Olympic swimming pools – to a number of farming operations in the region producing raspberries, strawberries, pineapples, avocados and turf. As the population grows and the supply of recycled water increases, more will be distributed and more growers from the region will be able to access the Scheme.

Using the recycled water for irrigation means we won’t need to discharge as much treated effluent into the Caboolture River. In Stage 1 alone, 11 tonnes of nitrogen and 1.8 tonnes of phosphorus will be diverted away from the river.

The Scheme is being built by the Wamuran Irrigation Scheme Joint Venture (JV), made up of construction contractor Pensar and two local growers, Twin View Turf and Pinata Farms. The JV was awarded a contract in October 2019 to assist Unitywater to design and construct the Scheme, following an open-market tender process.

The design has been finalised and construction is underway. The Scheme is due to be operational in early 2024.


Scheme benefits

The Wamuran Irrigation Scheme is an important project for the local community and the environment.

Background

Expected population increases in the Moreton Bay region will create additional loads through Unitywater’s sewage treatment plants and higher effluent volumes following treatment.

Unitywater identified a unique opportunity to treat recycled water at the Caboolture South Sewage Treatment Plant to Class A standard, then supply the water to farmers who currently rely on their own dams or local creeks to irrigate their crops.

In 2016, Unitywater commissioned a survey to gauge interest from agribusinesses in the Wamuran area about the use of recycled water on food and turf crops, which was met with a lot of interest. A number of foundation customers were identified using a weighted multi-criteria process that included their location and projected recycled water demand. We also considered a diverse range of crops, with an even mix of seasonal and day/night water requirements, so the Scheme could handle peak demands. Crops in the first stage of the Scheme include raspberries, strawberries, pineapples, avocados and turf.

Benefits from the Scheme include providing a high quality, secure water supply for growers and reducing effluent and nutrient volumes being discharged into the Caboolture River. As more water becomes available from the Caboolture South Sewage Treatment Plant, the Scheme will expand to service more local growers.


How the Scheme will operate

Wastewater from the Caboolture South Sewage Treatment Plant will be treated in a disinfection facility before it is transferred via a 10km pipeline to Moodlu Quarry, where it will pass through a water quality management facility.

Moodlu Quarry will be used for mid-stream balancing storage to ensure that surplus water is held to meet peak seasonal crop demand.

Moodlu Quarry is critical to the success of the Scheme and from late February 2022, will become an active construction zone with strict site access protocols in place.

In Stage 1, water will be delivered to farms from the Moodlu Quarry pump station through another 12km pipeline to safely irrigate turf and food crops.

How the Wamuran Irrigation Scheme will operate:


As part of our commitment to long-term sustainable water supply in our region, Unitywater is building the Wamuran Irrigation Scheme. This recycled water scheme will provide year-round water security for a number of Wamuran growers while sustainably managing wastewater from the Caboolture South Sewage Treatment Plant (STP).

The Wamuran Irrigation Scheme will divert Class A recycled water from the Caboolture South STP to farms, to be safely irrigated onto turf and crops, giving those participating in the Scheme greater certainty for crop planting and enabling them to expand their operations.

The Scheme will not only supply high quality recycled water to growers in our region but will also help us meet our 2050 sustainability goals of zero nutrients into our waterways and 100% reuse of recycled wastewater.

More about the Scheme

In its first stages, the Scheme will deliver about 2.6 gigalitres of recycled water per year – the equivalent of 1051 Olympic swimming pools – to a number of farming operations in the region producing raspberries, strawberries, pineapples, avocados and turf. As the population grows and the supply of recycled water increases, more will be distributed and more growers from the region will be able to access the Scheme.

Using the recycled water for irrigation means we won’t need to discharge as much treated effluent into the Caboolture River. In Stage 1 alone, 11 tonnes of nitrogen and 1.8 tonnes of phosphorus will be diverted away from the river.

The Scheme is being built by the Wamuran Irrigation Scheme Joint Venture (JV), made up of construction contractor Pensar and two local growers, Twin View Turf and Pinata Farms. The JV was awarded a contract in October 2019 to assist Unitywater to design and construct the Scheme, following an open-market tender process.

The design has been finalised and construction is underway. The Scheme is due to be operational in early 2024.


Scheme benefits

The Wamuran Irrigation Scheme is an important project for the local community and the environment.

Background

Expected population increases in the Moreton Bay region will create additional loads through Unitywater’s sewage treatment plants and higher effluent volumes following treatment.

Unitywater identified a unique opportunity to treat recycled water at the Caboolture South Sewage Treatment Plant to Class A standard, then supply the water to farmers who currently rely on their own dams or local creeks to irrigate their crops.

In 2016, Unitywater commissioned a survey to gauge interest from agribusinesses in the Wamuran area about the use of recycled water on food and turf crops, which was met with a lot of interest. A number of foundation customers were identified using a weighted multi-criteria process that included their location and projected recycled water demand. We also considered a diverse range of crops, with an even mix of seasonal and day/night water requirements, so the Scheme could handle peak demands. Crops in the first stage of the Scheme include raspberries, strawberries, pineapples, avocados and turf.

Benefits from the Scheme include providing a high quality, secure water supply for growers and reducing effluent and nutrient volumes being discharged into the Caboolture River. As more water becomes available from the Caboolture South Sewage Treatment Plant, the Scheme will expand to service more local growers.


How the Scheme will operate

Wastewater from the Caboolture South Sewage Treatment Plant will be treated in a disinfection facility before it is transferred via a 10km pipeline to Moodlu Quarry, where it will pass through a water quality management facility.

Moodlu Quarry will be used for mid-stream balancing storage to ensure that surplus water is held to meet peak seasonal crop demand.

Moodlu Quarry is critical to the success of the Scheme and from late February 2022, will become an active construction zone with strict site access protocols in place.

In Stage 1, water will be delivered to farms from the Moodlu Quarry pump station through another 12km pipeline to safely irrigate turf and food crops.

How the Wamuran Irrigation Scheme will operate:


Ask us a question about this project

You can ask us a question about the Wamuran Irrigation Scheme and our team will aim to respond within three business days.

Please note, some questions or responses may be marked private as they may contain sensitive customer information.

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  • Will the irrigation water contain chemicals such as fluoride, chlorine, traces of copper, etc? Is there a chemical analysis of the water available? I ask this because I run a nursery in the Moreton Bay region and I know that mains water supply kills almost every plant it touches. I stopped using mains water in my nursery nearly a decade ago because it was killing my stock. I’m not sure what chemical in the water was responsible, but there was definitely something nasty in it. Another nursery saw my problems and told me they had the same issues and when they stopped using town water they stopped losing plant stock. So, if your water kills plants I hope you find out why and sort out the problem before it is used to irrigate precious farmland. You could end up dealing with massive litigation f your water causes the large-scale loss of crops. Thanks. George

    I don’t have a screen name asked about 1 year ago

    Thank you for your question.

    The water for the Wamuran Irrigation Scheme is sourced from the Caboolture South Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) and contains traces of different minerals and nutrients after treatment to meet the health based guidelines for recycled water.  Unitywater has extensive records of the nutrient within the effluent from the Caboolture South STP and increased this analysis to obtain baseline data for minerals before finalising the design of the Scheme.

    This work created the water quality parameters within the Recycled Water Supply Agreements that are provided to farmers in the region to inform their decision as to whether or not to join the Scheme.

    If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Page last updated: 18 Apr 2024, 12:18 PM