Rockdale Road Sewer Pump Station

Scope

QMAX was engaged in December 2022 by A.D Tanner Constructions who were undertaking an industrial development in Young, NSW, comprising 10 lots. The project encompassed comprehensive design, construction and commissioning of a sewer pump station that fully complied with Hilltops Council’s rigorous specifications across all civil, mechanical, electrical, and SCADA components.

A fundamental design requirement involved incorporating a dedicated layby area to ensure safe and efficient access for council maintenance personnel conducting routine servicing operations. Additionally, the scope included designing the rising main connection to integrate with an existing rising main from a neighbouring property, requiring careful engineering to ensure harmonious operation between both independent pumping systems without compromising their respective discharge capabilities.

The design phase proceeded methodically through council review processes, culminating in formal approval in June 2023. This milestone enabled the transition to the construction and installation phase, which was successfully completed in January 2024, delivering a fully operational pump station that met all specified requirements.

Challenges

The project presented several significant engineering challenges, primarily centred around site constraints at the designated installation location. The pump station’s positioning required meticulous planning to maintain appropriate clearances from multiple existing infrastructure elements, including the adjacent roadway, power distribution poles, the pre-existing rising main, and established stormwater drainage networks.

The most technically demanding aspect involved the hydraulic integration of the new rising main with the existing system. This required sophisticated engineering analysis to ensure the newly constructed pump station’s discharge operations would not adversely affect the performance parameters of the existing pump station infrastructure, and conversely, that the existing system would not impede the new installation’s operational efficiency. Our engineers developed detailed hydraulic models to analyse potential flow interactions between both systems under various operational scenarios, including peak demand periods and emergency conditions. This thorough approach to addressing the hydraulic complexities ensured the final design achieved optimal performance while maintaining system integrity across both new and existing infrastructure.

Our team worked hand-in-hand with council officials throughout the project, ensuring we not only met their standards but also found creative ways to overcome the site’s challenging constraints. As construction progressed, we carefully planned each phase to minimise disruption to neighboring properties, using specialised excavation techniques to work safely around existing underground services and overhead infrastructure. When it came time for commissioning, we thoroughly tested every mechanical and electrical component to verify everything performed exactly as designed, paying particular attention to the precise calibration needed for the SCADA monitoring system to communicate flawlessly with the council’s network—a critical requirement for the pump station’s long-term operation and maintenance.

Demonstrating technical expertise and a commitment to quality and longevity, QMAX successfully navigated site challenges to deliver a vital, council-compliant sewer pump station for Young’s industrial development, ensuring seamless integration with the area’s wastewater infrastructure.

Contact the QMAX team today for your custom pump station solution!