Since the first of the new RMA QA floating aeration machines began operating in Moree Plains Shire Council’s wastewater stabilization ponds in 2016, Moree Councils Group Manager for Water and Waste has been planing a number of other projects. One of these is the up-dating of Bogabilla townships water treatment plant.
This plant draws water from the Macintyre river that runs alongside Bogabilla, close to the Queensland border. Because of the success of the 3 kW aerator at Moree and the results being achieved from aerating rivers in China with these machines, it was decided to install a larger 6 kW floating aerator in the river at Bogabilla, a little upstream of the water intake to the treatment plant.
In this part of NSW the Macintyre flows through cropping and cotton growing country and heavy rain storms wash a cocktail of agricultural chemicals and pesticides into the river. The idea of locating an aerator in the river is to help in the breakup of these long chain chemicals and organics before the water reaches the holding tank at the treatment plant were it is to be aerated with micro and nanobubbles prior to an activated media filtration process. But more on this in a future article.
During summer months when there’s reduced water in the river algae can form and aeration stops this from happening in the area of the water intake, as well as keeping this section of the river healthier with increased microbial activity resulting from the high levels of dissolved oxygen.
As you can imagine this aeration activity attracts plenty of fish, so there’s likely to be some fun fishing times ahead for the folks at Bogabilla.