| The
Gold Coast City Council upgraded its Merrimac Wastewater
Treatment Plant to cope with the needs of a population
that is expected to triple over the next 50 years, from
444,000 to 1,200,000. The current plant was reaching capacity,
and a $35 million upgrade to increase the capacity by
60 per cent commenced in September 2004, and is scheduled
for completion in 2006.
The Waterfuture Alliance of Gold Coast
Water, John Holland Group and MWH is responsible for the
upgrade; the major elements of which are a new bioreactor
and new clarifiers; a new disinfection system for treated
wastewater and new biosolids management equipment; upgraded
inlet works and new pipelines and electrical systems to
service the new equipment.
RMD’s Gold Coast branch supplied
Minima formwork for building the disinfection chamber,
which had a 500mm-thick wall and external dimensions of
9.5m x 7m x 3m high. Minima was chosen as a result of
its reduced labour requirements and speed of erection,
as time was critical on this project. Panels for the double-sided
formwork were assembled on the ground and craned into
position. This was the second use of Minima in Australia,
coming only three weeks after the same branch supplied
formwork to the Gold Coast City Council for a bridge.
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