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Cleveland Bay Recycled Water Treatment Facility

Investment $25 million
Jobs 30
Goal 4. A sustainable destination that embraces and participates in the arts, sports and events and recreational activities.
Strategic Purpose Reduce demand on potable water to support the development of green hydrogen production operations and attract and secure future industry and jobs for Townsville.
Status Delivery

Project Update

Following detailed design, construction has now commenced on the project. Activity began in November 2022 with earthmoving equipment mobilised to the pipeline installation location adjacent to the Townsville Port Access Road.

Council’s Recycled Water Project is an investment of approximately $25 million to build the Recycled Water Treatment Facility (RWTF) and approximately 7km of supporting pipeline infrastructure, to support future hydrogen production operations and secure future industry and jobs for Townsville.

The new facility at the Cleveland Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant is expected to be operational mid-late 2024, producing up to 15ML/day of water for industrial and irrigation users and supplementing potable water usage.

Project Overview

The Townsville Water Security Taskforce Final Report (2018) identified an opportunity to expand Townsville’s water availability by treating water from the Cleveland Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant.

In May 2019 the Queensland Government released the Queensland Hydrogen Industry Strategy, which has a vision for Queensland to be “…at the forefront of renewable hydrogen production in Australia, supplying an established domestic market and export partners with a safe, sustainable and reliable supply of hydrogen.”

Council has been contacted by several parties interested in securing recycled water for hydrogen production. A new focus for Council’s Recycled Water Project is to develop a RWTF and supporting pipeline infrastructure to support hydrogen production operations and attract and secure future industry and jobs for Townsville.

Council will manage the delivery of the project with the staged capacity to produce up to 15ML/day of water for industrial and irrigation users at the Cleveland Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Industrial demand is anticipated to increase over the next 3-5 years. Recycled water produced during the early years of operation will supplement potable water usage for community irrigation requirements.

An estimated $25 million investment over two years has been allocated. The new RWTF is planned to be operating by mid-late 2024.