MWH joined forces with Gold Coast City Council and Gold Coast Water to form the Pimpama Coomera Waterfuture Master Alliance (PCWF). Alliance members share the challenge to deliver the PCWF Master Plan for Gold Coast Water (GCW). The Master Plan is part of the Gold Coast City Council's Northern Wastewater Strategy to manage the urban water cycle in the Staplyton, Pimpama and Coomera areas of the Gold Coast in South East Queensland.

The PCWF Master Plan won the International Water Association's (IWA) Global Grand Prize for water planning, awarded at the IWA's Biannual Project Innovation Awards held at the World Water Congress in Beijing in 2006 together with the United Nations' World Environment Day Awards in Melbourne for 'Excellence in Water Management'. The Master Plan includes Australia's largest dual reticulation system to service some 150,000 persons expected to settle in the 7,000 ha, relatively undeveloped area. It aims to reduce potable water use by up to 84% over the life of the Master Plan.
New infrastructure includes the Pimpama Wastewater and Recycled Water Treatment Plants; wastewater, recycled water and potable water networks; and Water Sensitive Urban Design elements. Both Class A+ and Class B recycled water will be produced for reuse.

Our Solution
To successfully implement the PCWF Master Plan MWH is providing expertise to assess and mitigate environmental impacts associated with the Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Recycled Water Plant as Stage 1 infrastructure (2007 to 2012, 17 ML/d ADWF) during the planning, design and construction phases. MWH is also preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Stage 2 of the WWTP (2012 to 2035, 34 ML/d ADWF) to assess the impacts of (and mitigation measures for) recycled water management options. Recycled water management options include:

• dual reticulation;
• farm, open space and forestry irrigation;
• wetland rejuvenation;
• aquifer storage and recovery; and
• release of excess recycled water to waterways.
  

Key Outcomes

• Reduction in use of potable water
• Reduction of inflow and infiltration into wastewater systems
• Increase in use of recycled water
• Reduction in amount of recycled water released to waterways
• Reduction in nitrogen and phosphorus in recycled water released to waterways
• Reduction in quantity of stormwater runoff
• Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions