Cleveland Bay Project at NCS Australia

Cleveland Bay

The Cleveland Bay Purification Plant treats a large portion of Townsville’s wastewater, which needs to meet a suitable standard before being discharged into the environment. The plant opened in 1988. At that time the facility treated raw sewage through an oxidation ditch, and discharged effluent to Cleveland Bay. The plant received a major upgrade in 2008, changing its treatment process to a membrane bioreactor — a more environmentally-friendly option providing better quality effluent. While this upgrade increased capacity at the time, it did not sufficient increase capacity for wet weather flows. The plant needed further upgrading to treat larger amounts of wastewater and meet current and future demands and industry standards.

National Concrete Solutions were engaged to treat the concrete surfaces of the newly constructed structures that would be exposed to concentrated Effluent to ensure the structures were protected by the highly corrosive nature of the water and gases it releases. The surfaces within the new membrane tank were prepared by means of an abrasive blast to create a surface profile to aid in adhesion of the subsequent protective coating’s application.

A 100% solid epoxy and selected aggregates were used to create a tough render material to provide the initial surface requirements including strength, durability and adhesion characteristics required. The final application was a Polyurea coating system, that provided chemical and abrasion resistance, along with flexibility. Other secondary assets including bypasses, outlets and extensions were also treated in a similar manner, but final topcoat was an Ultra High Build Epoxy.

The combination of treatments ensures the new structures within the plant will meet and exceed their service life requirements.