Overview
Mount St John wastewater treatment plant serves Townsville, Queensland, Australia, with a designed capacity of 1.00 million liters per day. It is an operational facility located within 50 km of the coast.
Mount St John wastewater treatment plant is located in Townsville, Queensland, Australia, serving a population of approximately 42,395. The facility is situated in the Mount St John area and is part of the municipal wastewater infrastructure for the region. As an operational plant, it operates under Australia's regulatory framework, which includes the National Water Quality Management Strategy and state-level environmental protection laws. For a plant serving a medium-sized agglomeration, secondary treatment is typically required, with potential for nutrient removal in sensitive catchments. The plant's discharge ultimately flows into the Great Barrier Reef catchment, a globally significant marine ecosystem. The receiving waters support diverse aquatic life and are subject to strict environmental protections to minimize nutrient and pollutant loads entering the reef lagoon.
Environmental context
The plant is located within the Ross River basin, which drains into Cleveland Bay and the Coral Sea, part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The downstream environment includes seagrass beds and coral reefs that are sensitive to nutrient enrichment and sediment runoff. Effective wastewater treatment is critical to protect these ecosystems from eutrophication and turbidity.
Frequently asked questions
Mount St John wastewater treatment plant is located on Mount St John Road in Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
The plant serves approximately 42,395 people in the Townsville area.
The plant discharges treated effluent into the Ross River catchment, which flows into Cleveland Bay and the Coral Sea, part of the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem.
The plant operates under Australia's National Water Quality Management Strategy and Queensland's Environmental Protection Act, which set discharge standards to protect the Great Barrier Reef.
Plants of this scale in Australia typically employ secondary treatment with nutrient removal to meet strict effluent quality guidelines for sensitive coastal environments.
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