In August 2017, the Murweh Shire Council in Charleville QLD had two of the new RMA QA floating aerators installed to increase oxygen levels and boost microbial activity in the Imhoff tanks at their sewage treatment plant.
The installation of these aerators in the towns Imhoff treatment tanks followed an investigation to Moree Plains Shire Council by Murweh’s Director of Environmental and Health Services. Moree Plains Council was the first in Australia to install this new type of floating aeration system in their sewage treatment stabilization ponds in March 2016.
In Charleville the treated water from the two tanks flows into a network of stabilization ponds where it’s finally released to irrigate a date palm plantation. Apart from oxygenating the water and decomposing organic chemicals, research is showing that an increase in oxygen in irrigation water could have a beneficial effect on the growth and crop yields of plants, so it will be interesting to see how this date plantation develops in the future.
How much does it cost to run this type of aerator you ask? Almost nothing actually, the pumps on these machines only require 3 kW of energy and are running on solar power, so apart from any future maintenance, operating costs are virtually zero.