MEDIA RELEASE

10 November 2005

OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE MANUAL FOR SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS

The O&M Manual for Sewage Treatment Plants is the twenty third publication produced by the Water Directorate and is our largest technical document produced to date.

First considered by the Executive Committee in 2001 as a high priority action, the development of the O&M Manual for STPs was not commenced until 2004 when the Water Services Section of the Department of Commerce was engaged to prepare this O&M Manual template under the supervision of Water Directorate's sewer subcommitte.

The O&M Manual is designed to assist local government water and sewer authorities throughout NSW and Queensland responsible for the operation and maintenance of sewage treatment facilities. Thirteen common treatment processes at sewage treatment plants are examined in detail with councils and organisations encouraged to modify the manual to suit their particular treatment facilities.

Gary Mitchell, Executive Officer, Water Directorate considers "the O&M Manual for STPs to be a unique document combining a template for producing an O&M Manual for your specific STP with text book information on multi treatment processes."

Describing the O&M Manual for STPs as a benchmark, the Chairman, Daryl McGregor, also noted that its publication is "doubly significant because it is our first joint production with the Queensland Water Directorate."

To date the Water Directorate has produced eight Operations and Maintenance Manuals to assist Local Government Water Utilities and/or other organisations in the delivery of reliable and cost effective operations and maintenance regime across the water and sewerage functions.

All member councils of the Water Directorate receive a free copy of the manual. Additional copies are available for purchase from the Water Directorate from estanley@waterdirectorate.asn.au

For further information please contact:

Media Contact: Gary Mitchell Tel: 02 8267 3010 or 0419 430 583

Media Contact: Daryl McGregor Tel: 02 6023 8220