Protecting the Reef starts with Cleaner Seas

As part of its obligations to meet the requirements of the state government's Coastal Management Plan, Cairns Regional Council initiated the Cleaner Seas Initiative. Compliance with the requirements of this plan sees Cairns Water & Waste undertaking major upgrades at our four major wastewater treatment plants over the next three years.

The Northern, Southern, Edmonton and Marlin Coast wastewater treatment plants will all be upgraded not only to increase capacity, but also to include Biological Nutrient Removal processes. This will allow the cleanest possible outfall from our sewerage system to be released into the ocean.

The $188 million plus Cleaner Seas Project is being delivered by an alliance between Cairns Water & Waste, Cairns Regional Council and an expert team involving United Group Limited Infrastructure, CEC Construction, GHD and Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM).

The new dedicated Cleaners Seas Alliance Project Office is located at Tenancy 1, 455 Mulgrave Road - behind Trinity Auto Group. Early works construction commenced at the Marlin Coast and Northern wastewater treatment plants in late 2007 and the Project moved into the construction phase in early 2008, following sign-off of the overall budget by Council in December 2007.

The project will run for a 2-3 year period and will require up to 200 construction personnel and multiple subcontractors working on each of the four wastewater plants that will be upgraded at any one time.

Opportunities have been created for local contractors to supply materials and services such as concrete, form-setting, building works, epoxy-coating specialists, installation of mechanical infrastructure, electrical work and metal fabrication. There will also be opportunities for long-term maintenance, support and supply contracts for local companies, so the benefits of this project will continue to flow on for some time.

The Project had been in the planning stages for 3 years and now moves into the delivery stage involving design, procurement, construction, commissioning and process proving and optimisation.

The project will not only deliver significant environmental benefits by reducing the load of nutrients discharged to the Great Barrier Reef by up to 80%, it will also create a large number of jobs for local contractors and individuals.

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