Bowral residents are one step closer to having a world-class wastewater treatment plant, with construction complete on the first stage of a multimillion-dollar overhaul that will future-proof the local sewerage system for decades to come.
The project is being delivered thanks to $6.6 million from the NSW Government’s Safe and Secure Water Program and over $26 million from Wingecarribee Shire Council.
Sewage generated within Bowral, East Bowral and Burradoo is transferred through gravity sewers and sewage pump stations to the Bowral Sewage Treatment Plant which hasn’t been upgraded since 2006.
While the plant is still functioning well and meeting environmental standards, it is now operating near its capacity. Once fully complete, the upgrade will increase the plant’s capacity by 50 per cent, allowing for local population growth while also ensuring better efficiency and improved protection for local waterways.
The first phase of the project involved the installation of a new bioreactor, clarifier and inlet works to improve the removal of substances such as nitrogen and phosphorus. These Stage 1 works will enable a more consistent treatment process which is more resilient in responding to changes in the incoming raw sewage.
The improvements will also better safeguard the health of the Wingecarribee River, which sits upstream and flows into Lake Burragorang, part of Sydney’s drinking water catchment.
In 2023, the construction contract was awarded to Haslin Construction after a competitive tender process, with the project due for full completion in early 2026.
