Background
The Manilla Water Supply Upgrade will provide the Manilla community with a more reliable supply of treated water and deliver improvements in the quality of their water.
The multi-million dollar project is the biggest water infrastructure investment in Manilla for more than 60 years.
The existing Water Treatment Plant in Court Street has been in use since 1933. Much of its infrastructure is either at the end of, or past, its useful service life.
The current location of the plant is also an issue due to its proximity to residences, the hospital and a nursing home. Onsite storage of chlorine gas makes it desirable to have a buffer zone separating the plant from nearby residences (although the current system still complies with regulations).
A new water treatment plant capable of treating up to 3.5 megalitres a day will be built on a 34-hectare site Council
owns between Kanangra Road and Reservoir Road to replace the existing one. The
new plant will treat water from both the Namoi River and Manilla River.
The estimated cost of the new Manilla Water Treatment Plant alone is more than $13 million. The work will be funded by the NSW Government and Council. The NSW Government is contributing $3.768 million through Restart NSW’s Safe and Secure Water Program with Tamworth Regional Council funding the balance of the cost of the overall project.
About the Project
The Manilla Water Supply Upgrade includes construction of the new water treatment plant on a Council-owned site accessed from Reservoir Road, a new pump station and intake on the Manilla River and an upgrade to the intake and pump station on the Namoi River. New pipelines will also be constructed from each intake to the new plant, following a route mostly along the road reserves.
The new plant will treat, on average, 1.1 megalitres of water daily to meet the town’s usual consumption needs, but be capable of producing up to 3.5 megalitres of drinking water a day when necessary. The design of the water treatment processes at the new plant will ensure that water quality meets the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines when the Manilla River or Namoi River water or a both sources are being used.
We chose to locate it close to the existing 7 megalitre reservoir to allow the entire plant to operate under gravity flow to reduce electricity usage and operational costs.
We hope to start construction before the end of March 2020 and it is expected to take up to 18 months to complete.
The construction program will not be finalised until the successful tenderer is selected. However, Council has suggested the project be completed in two stages with the Manilla River pump station, pipeline and the new water treatment plant being built first, followed by Namoi River pump station.
Four contractors, previously shortlisted through an expression of interest process, have been invited to submit their tenders. It is expected Council will select a successful tenderer in November 2019.
Proposed Manilla Water Treatment Plant
Map of proposed Water Treatment Plant
Frequently Asked Questions
The current plant at Court Street, Manilla has been in operation since 1933 and is past its useful life.
The Manilla Water Supply Upgrade will help Council in its efforts to provide residents with a more secure water supply because it will source raw water from both the Namoi River and the Manilla River.
A new pump station and intake will be constructed on the Manilla River at Lloyd Street. In addition, a new pipeline will run along Lloyd Street and then along Corra Lynn Lane, down to the Namoi River weir where it will pass across the Namoi River and connect into the pipework at the Namoi River Pump Station.
The Namoi River Pump Station will draw from its current location upstream of the weir but the intake pipework will be renewed and the pump station will be fully refurbished as part of the project.
The location was chosen to allow for the entire plant to operate under gravity flow to reduce electricity usage and operational costs.
Construction is expected to start before the end of March 2020.
The construction program will not be finalised until the successful tenderer is selected. However, Council expects the project may take up to about 18 months to complete.
The State Government has provided a significant contribution towards the cost of the multi-million dollar project with Tamworth Regional Council meeting the majority of the cost.
