Fyshwick Sewage Treatment Plant
The Fyshwick Sewage Treatment Plant was built in the 1960s and is located on approximately 32 hectares alongside the Jerrabomberra Wetlands and in the vicinity of the commercial and industrial areas at Fyshwick. The plant treats sewage from the Majura, Fyshwick, Hume, Jerrabomberra and Narrrabundah catchments, releasing the treated effluent either to the Lower Molonglo Water Quality Control Centre for subsequent discharge to the Molonglo River downstream of the city to provide important environmental flows, or the North Canberra Water Reclamation Plant for further treatment and subsequent use as high quality recycled water for irrigation.
The location of the Fyshwick Sewage Treatment Plant allows high sewage flows from this part of Canberra to be temporarily stored and then released to the Lower Molonglo Water Quality Control Centre in a controlled way. This is particularly important during times of wet weather, when the sewerage system can have high flows for several days at a time.
The treatment process
The treatment process at the Fyshwick Sewage Treatment Plant consists of the following steps:
- screening to remove detritus
- grit settlement tanks to remove gravel and sand
- primary treatment using sedimentation tanks to settle out organic material
- secondary treatment using trickling filters to further reduce organic material
- transfer to treatment lagoons for additional polishing
The site includes 10 hectares of lagoons which store the treated effluent and allows for emergency storage during wet weather. The Fyshwick Sewage Treatment Plant treats around 4.2 ML of sewage per day. The lagoons are part of important habitat for a range of birds, including rare and migratory species.