NOWRA’s Summer 2024 Onsite Journal contained an article about the Australian Woodford Folk Festival and their decentralized engineered water cycle at the Woodfordia site, highlighting the wastewater treatment system designed for the festival, a large music event, attended by approximately 130,000 people over six days.
It discusses the challenges faced, the specialized treatment chain used, innovative treatment technologies applied, sustainability and cost-effectiveness of the system, impact on reducing carbon emissions, and the reuse of treated water for irrigation purposes.
Since 1994, this site has had its own on-site water management system. The system includes a dam, drinking water treatment plant, sewer system, sewage treatment plant (STP), and recycled water scheme.
Key highlights:
- The decentralized system allows for complete self-sufficiency, with no water brought in or removed from the site. Wastewater, including sewage sludge, is treated and reused.
- Prior to 2009, wastewater was trucked off-site, but this practice was costly and environmentally unsustainable. A custom-built STP was introduced to handle the large fluctuations in wastewater generated during the festival.
- The STP uses a combination of physical, chemical, and limited biological processes to treat wastewater, ensuring high water quality. The treated water is recycled for irrigation, particularly for a bamboo plantation, which provides materials used during the festival.
- The treatment plant has proven cost-effective, reducing operational costs compared to off-site disposal and contributing to Woodfordia’s sustainability efforts.
The project is a model for decentralized wastewater treatment and showcases environmental innovation. The full article can be found: https://www.nowra.org/Customer-Content/www/news/PDFs/Onsite_Journal_Summer_2024_Online.pdf
