The IESL Queensland Chapter went on a field trip to Oxley Creek Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) as part of their Continuing Professional Development Program (CPD) on 23 March 2019. This was the sixth CPD event organized by the Chapter and 20 engineers attended the event. The Oxley STP is the second largest sewage treatment plant in Queensland, treating domestic sewage and trade waste from the southern and western regions of Brisbane. This plant has been operating since 1969 and currently processes about 53 million litres of sewage a day. The site tour was led by Queensland Urban Utilities (QUU) staff members (Ken Vaheesan, Bill Collie and Paul McPhee). Ken, Bill and Paul did an exceptional job in explaining the treatment process that converts domestic and industrial waste into clear effluent by removing organic and other solid material.
The participants learned different aspects of the sewage treatment process at the STP. In addition, they received an appreciation of the impacts of sewerage pipe network blockages caused by people putting the wrong things down sinks, drains and toilets. For example, many cleaning wipes, including the ones that are labelled ‘flushable,’ do not disintegrate quickly and when flushed contributes to sewerage pipe blockages. Other common problem items that cause blockages include cotton buds, hygiene products, dental floss, cooking fats and hair. The participants achieved a good understanding of the four stages of treatment undertaken at the STP. The question and answer session between the IESL members and the QUU staff was quite engaging and lasted about half an hour. Overall, it was a very successful event and the objective of the CPD program was achieved. The IESL Queensland Chapter Management Committee would like to thank QUU for organising this field trip, 4EB Sri Lankan Radio Group for providing media coverage and our members for taking the opportunity to attend this event.
Jerome Arunakumaren
Member of Management Committee IESL QLD Chapter
