A $23 million upgrade to Emerald’s Black Gully Waste Water Treatment Plant has officially commenced, with Aquatec Maxcon leading the work.

The upgrade will more than double the overloaded plant’s current capacity.

The project is jointly funded by the Queensland Government’s Building our Regions program and the Central Highlands Regional Council.

“Local business contribution is most important on a project of this size,” Central Highlands Mayor Cr Kerry Hayes said.

“This company (Aquatec Maxcon) recently completed a project in Kingaroy where more than 30 percent was contracted locally and they expect a similar figure to be achieved here.”

He said that without the $5 million funding from the Queensland Government the project wouldn’t have happened.

“Because of changes in subsidies to local governments for water and sewerage projects over the last 10 years, work like this would have been too much of a burden for ratepayers, so without this grant this project would not have happened,” he said.

“It’s with great pleasure that I can use this shovel to symbolise the start of another project that will greatly benefit, not only Emerald, but the Central Highlands region.”

The project is expected to be completed by June 2018.

Pictured above right: Marking the commencement of the upgrade – from left to right: Peter Manning (CHRC), Kai Emke (Aquatec Maxcon), Cr Alan McIndoe, Cr Gail Godwin-Smith, Gerhard Joubert (CHRC), Mayor Kerry Hayes, Richard Austin (Department of State Development), Rodney Woodrow (Aquatec Maxcon), Cr Gail Nixon, Cr Charlie Brimblecombe and Srinidhi Attur (CH2M).