On-site wastewater treatment for Sydney Olympic Park

Sydney Olympic Park has unveiled an innovative treatment system that breaks down contaminants and releases clean water to the environment.

Contaminants found on-site are contained within large mounds across the park, which hold the material in safe storage. These mounds produce wastewater known as leachate that is collected and, until now, has been treated at an industrial waste treatment facility - an expensive process requiring the leachate to be transported off-site.

The Sydney Olympic Park Authority has long sought an environmentally friendly alternative to off-site processing and has now commissioned an on-site bio-treatment process that will allow clean, effective and environmentally sound treatment of these contaminants.

“This advanced bio-treatment process, unveiled on World Environment Day, is a wonderful example of innovative thinking to solve today’s pressing environmental issues,” said NSW Sport and Recreation Minister Stuart Ayres.

“Not only does it process contaminated water cleanly and efficiently, it does so at a much reduced cost compared to traditional commercial treatment methods.”

The natural treatment system, first installed at Wilson Park bioremediation site, diverts waste by-product away from more traditional industrial treatment processes and treats contaminates sustainably on-site, using a series of wetlands that allow natural biological processes to break down contaminants into harmless substances.

The Sydney Olympic Park Authority intends rolling out the same sustainable leachate processing systems across the entire park, resulting in long-term financial savings and a more sustainable facility.

“Innovative processes, such as this sustainable leachate treatment process being introduced at Sydney Olympic Park, offer hope that dealing with contaminated water from these sites will become a far cheaper, cleaner and environmentally safer method for the future,” said Ayres.