Where it all began...

Before the LMWQCC was built, sewage treatment was centred on two locations; Weston Creek and later Belconnen. While treatment of sewage in these facilities was well managed the plants were not designed for the removal of nutrients. Sewage solids, also known as sludge from the plants was treated in digesters and stored in lagoons. Whilst Canberra managed with this system, it was insufficient to efficiently and effectively treat the wastewater of Canberra’s increasing population.

Our Chief Engineer John Dymke says “Weston Creek treatment facility treated to a reasonable standard but it discharged quite high levels of nutrients of nitrogen and phosphorus to the Molonglo river, and that had significant impact on the Murrumbidgee river water quality downstream of Canberra, together with the effluent from the Belconnen treatment plant.”

Cue the LMWQCC! Planned in the late 1960s, construction of the treatment plant occurred between 1974 and 1978 at a cost of approximately $50 million. To put this in perspective, to build a similar treatment plant today would cost a whopping $600 million. Interestingly, this was one of Gough Whitlam’s endorsed projects for Canberra and the region, and a legacy that he created for us to benefit from today.

At the time of construction the plant was a major piece of infrastructure which paved the way for future water sewage treatment designs. As with anything new and different there were some sceptics out there who doubted the new process and structure.

John says “we were at the leading edge of treatment plant development at the time.”

“There was quite a lot of criticism about some of the processes we had in place because they were very unique, a new set of rules for inland treatment.”

“Unlike other wastewater treatment plants around which utilised sludge digesters for digesting the sludge from the treatment processes, Lower Molonglo relies solely on incineration to do that.“

The new system surpassed expectations however, treating a flow of 100,000 cubic meters of sewage a day to a quality that is often found in natural rivers and streams.

In the early 1990’s the treatment plant was open to a number of international guests who came to observe the plant in action. When showed a glass of the finished product that matched what you would get in a drinking glass, they were amazed. John says “they were even more amazed when the plant manager of the time drank it in the knowledge that there was no risk to do that.”

The LMWQCC was built to service the needs of a population of 400,000 people, a population Canberra is fast approaching. To continue to consistently deliver these services and to provide a secure water future for the ACT it’s time to start planning for future updates and extensions.