Work is progressing well on the construction of a new water treatment plant to service the community of Laramba, located 205km North West of Alice Springs.

The new water treatment plant will use ion exchange technology to reduce the level of naturally occurring uranium from the groundwater source to below the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines value.

“Power and Water, through our subsidiary Indigenous Essential Services (IES), is continuing to improve the quality of drinking water in Northern Territory remote communities,” Power and Water Executive General Manager Water Services, Steven Porter said.

“Our team of water quality experts has been involved with researching technologies to provide drinking water that is safe and aesthetically acceptable and we are confident ion-exchange technology will improve the quality of drinking water for the residents of Laramba.”

Clean TeQ Water was engaged earlier this year to design and built the treatment plant.

The ion exchange technologies used by Clean TeQ Water are proven to reliably remove targeted minerals while minimising the amount of waste, which makes it very suitable for treatment of groundwater in remote locations.

Onsite works commenced in July with new infrastructure being constructed at the existing borefield site to support the water treatment plant.

“We have recently completed the installation of 300 metres of new rising main,” said Mr Porter.

“The concrete slab and civil works on the expanded bore compound are also complete and a new building to house the new plant and water treating infrastructure is ready.”

Construction of the ion exchange treatment plant is continuing offsite and will be followed by onsite installation and commissioning over the coming months.

The new treatment plant is on track to be ready for commissioning by the end of the year and operational early in 2023.

The project is part of the Northern Territory Government's $28 million program to improve water quality and supply infrastructure to communities with the highest need.

Ends

Contact: Media unit

Phone: 0401 117 599