Murray Bridge wastewater pump station site becomes community and cultural space

The installation of a unique art sculpture and final planting of around 7400 native plants marks the completion of work at SA Water’s wastewater pump station on Jervois Road in Murray Bridge, which has been given the Ngarrindjeri name of ‘Nankeri tapatawangk’, meaning ‘place of good water’.

The landscape and architectural design of the pump station site focuses on sharing the culture of the region’s Traditional Owners – the Ngarrindjeri people – and their connection to water, with the wider community.

SA Water’s Senior Manager of Media, Community and Stakeholder Engagement Joshua Zugajev said this feature has been incorporated into almost every element on the site.

“An interpretive walking trail through a landscaped area around the pump station depicts the important water sites within Ngarrindjeri Country, including the River Murray, Long Island, Murray Mouth, Coorong, Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert,” Joshua said.

“The trail will eventually connect into the Rural City of Murray Bridge’s section of the Murray Coorong Trail.

“Surrounding the path is a rhythmic pattern of raised garden beds, set against a native grass sward, which is reminiscent of the ancient mallee-topped sand dunes still found in the local area.

“This special landscape design was brought to life by Aboriginal architect and visual artist Paul Herzich along with the many environmental groups we worked with over the past 18 or so months.

“Installed at the head of the trail are two large mosaic-covered sculptures of ‘Kungari nga:tadi’ – black swan eggs – which were crafted by Adelaide artist Andrew Stock, with contribution from students at Unity College in Murray Bridge. The path also leads to two water basins which are filled with rainwater runoff from the pump station roof.

“40 species of carefully selected and locally sourced native plants, including 10 threatened species, are scattered across the two hectare pump station site, and were chosen to survive the region’s hot summers and the local sandy conditions. Signage near each variety of plant shows what they will look like once fully grown.

“The plants are watered by recycled water straight from the Brinkley wastewater treatment plant, through a network of 9000 metres of underground drip-tube irrigation.

“Being near the entrance to Murray Bridge, it was important to create a space that is visually appealing and can still be enjoyed by the community, and it was fantastic to be able to partner with the local council and all our project partners to achieve this.”

The pump station was one of three built as part of a $52 million upgrade of the local wastewater network, which also included the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant in Brinkley – around 10 kilometres south of the Murray Bridge township – and an additional 18 kilometres of underground pipe.

The treatment plant began operating in June this year, able to process up to 4.5 million litres of sewage a day for more than 14,000 local residents and businesses.

“As with the Jervois Road wastewater pump station, we strived to incorporate sustainability and innovation into the design of our newest wastewater treatment plant,” Joshua said.

“The Murray Bridge facility is one of four wastewater treatment plants around the state which recycles 100 per cent of treated wastewater for reuse, with the high quality product used at a Department of Defence training area and a nearby pastoral property.

“Around 420 ground-mounted solar panels contribute to powering the plant, and it incorporates an odour control unit designed to remove 99.95 per cent of odour as well as an advanced biological treatment process to help break down sewage into sludge in a more compact and efficient way.

“These features recently led to the overall upgrade receiving the highest design rating to date for a water or wastewater project assessed by the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia.”

The project was also recognised earlier this month at the Australian Water Association’s South Australian Water Awards, winning the regional Infrastructure Project Innovation Award.

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