To complement the recent landfill cell infrastructure at Launceston Waste Centre, a new pipeline will be constructed in an effort to enhance water treatment.
The new $700,000 rising main will be built for the centre's capacity to safely divert leachate and wastewater for treatment.
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Leachate is the liquid created when rainwater filters through the organic waste captured in landfill cells.
If handled incorrectly, it can be harmful to the environment.
More than 1.5 kilometres of 110mm HDPE pipe is being installed to expand the facility's existing wastewater diversion infrastructure.
Once complete, there will be two links to treatment facilities at Ti Tree Bend where previously there had been only one.
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At peak operation, the new system will be capable of pumping 10 litres of leachate per second.
TasWater's department manager for field services, Brendan Hanigan, said TasWater worked closely with council to treat wastewater from the landfill site.
"The same amount of wastewater will be treated, but delivered faster in two pipes instead of one, which may stretch the system in wet weather events," he said.
"The additional pipeline will mean faster removal of wastewater from the landfill site to the treatment plant which has multiple stages of treatment.
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The water itself is not for consumption, rather, it needs to be treated to reduce an environmental impact.
"As has always been the case the wastewater is discharged to the environment after the full treatment process," Mr Hanigan said.
Launceston acting mayor Danny Gibson said the additional pipeline would also build redundancy into the facility's leachate diversion system.
"With the construction of new landfill cells at the Launceston Waste Centre in recent decades, the way we manage leachate from those cells is more important than ever," Cr Gibson said.
"The investment in the new pipeline will ensure the facility has additional capacity to safely divert leachate to treatment facilities and to prevent leachate from escaping into the natural environment."
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It's expected the project will be complete by the end of August, weather permitting.
The funding for the new pipeline was directly from City of Launceston's budget.
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Alison Foletta has been a journalist for three years, working in the community to tell stories that matter. Before starting at The Examiner in Launceston, Tasmania she worked in Horsham, Victoria for The Wimmera Mail-Times. alison.foletta@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Alison Foletta has been a journalist for three years, working in the community to tell stories that matter. Before starting at The Examiner in Launceston, Tasmania she worked in Horsham, Victoria for The Wimmera Mail-Times. alison.foletta@austcommunitymedia.com.au
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