Unitywater is upgrading its Murrumba Downs Wastewater Treatment Plant as part of a major infrastructure program designed to support population growth across Brisbane’s northern suburbs and the Moreton Bay region.
The treatment plant processes around 25 megalitres of wastewater every day—equivalent to approximately 5.5 million toilet flushes—and services about 187,000 homes and businesses in Bray Park, Dakabin, Griffin, Joyner, Kallangur, Lawnton, Mango Hill, Murrumba Downs and Strathpine.
The works form part of Unitywater’s $500 million renewals and replacements program, which aims to strengthen water and wastewater infrastructure across its service region.
Unitywater Executive Manager Sustainable Infrastructure Solutions Mike Basterfield said several significant upgrades were underway at the facility.
The project includes refurbishing the plant’s bioreactor, replacing aeration diffusers that supply oxygen to the microorganisms used in wastewater treatment, upgrading a cloth media filter tank and constructing a new aeration tank to improve the plant’s biological treatment process.
One of the most visible additions is a new 16-metre-tall barometric loop installed upstream of the treatment plant.
The U-shaped structure uses gravity and atmospheric pressure to improve pumping efficiency while helping reduce odour and the risk of blockages within the wastewater network.
Mr Basterfield said the crane installation of the structure also attracted the attention of children from the neighbouring Green Leaves Early Learning Centre, who later visited the site wearing miniature high-visibility vests.
Dormway installed the barometric loop earlier this year, while Downer is completing the remaining upgrades, which are scheduled to be finished by November 2026.
Published 22-July-2026
