Port Arthur Water and Sewerage Masterplan

Project Aim

pitt&sherry has been provided consulting services to Port Arthur Historic site as trusted advisor since 2016.  
Waste and wastewater infrastructure for the Port Arthur Historic Site and surrounding residents and businesses is owned and maintained by Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority.

At a high level the assets include:

• A water supply comprising two small supply dams, a filtration and disinfection water treatment plant, treated water storages and distribution pumps and pipe network.
• A sewerage system comprising four main sewer pump stations, associated pipelines, a Pasveer Ditch type Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), disinfection system and marine outfall. 

The aim of the project was to develop a masterplan to enable the Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority to supply treated water and collect and dispose of treated wastewater for the next thirty years in accordance with statutory and industry guidelines.

What we did

The Master Plan initially investigated current water and sewage demands and the expected projected 30-year demands.

This information was then compared to the existing water and sewerage assets to determine:

• Their ability to meet current and projected demands
• Their compliance with current statutory and industry guidelines
• Their expected effective operational life
• What works would; be required to extend the asset life to beyond thirty years.

This assessment included consideration of alternative solutions such as reducing water demands through water saving techniques and rainwater harvesting and adopting beneficial reuse to help protect adjacent marine environments.
Performance of the main water and sewerage treatment systems was also reviewed by undertaking a comprehensive water sampling program at each plant inlet and outlet.

All the above information was collated into a masterplan operating and capital works program, including timelines, estimated costs and project risks.

Masterplan Outcomes

The masterplan has provided the Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority with a clearer understanding of:

• The likely future demands on their water and sewerage assets
• The current condition of these assets
• The capital works required to bring these assets up to current acceptable modern technology over the life of the masterplan
• The expected capital outlay to achieve these requirements
• Key risks in managing these assets over the life of the masterplan

This information will feed into an Asset management strategy for the water and sewerage infrastructure.