Bathurst is the home of the Bathurst 1000 Race, the largest NASCAR-style “touring car” race in Australia. On race day, tens of thousands of additional visitors' tax the capacity of the Bathurst 5 million-gallon-per- day wastewater treatment plant. The diligence and capability of the treatment staff allows the plant to meet the challenge every year.
The Bathurst Regional Council uses treated effluent from the Bathurst Wastewater Treatment Works at its bio-solids plant for general wash down and as non-potable water throughout the plant. The water is drawn from the end of the treatment process before the final step of UV disinfection.
The Council was using delivered 12% liquid chlorine (bulk sodium hypochlorite) to provide residual disinfection to the re-used effluent. However, the risks in using the liquid bleach was identified, and although the risk was low, the health consequence to staff was high while using the reuse water in locations where a fine spray was generated.