Project Description

When the Queensland Government called for the addition of 320 new cells at the Lotus Glen Correctional Facility, they also took the opportunity to authorise modifications to existing cell blocks to meet current practices and standards. Upgrades to the existing infrastructure were required, particularly to facilitate the introduction of the Department’s environmental conservation policies in respect of water usage and on-site treatment of sewage.
Including the deployment of a fully networked electronic water management system [EWMS] to bring this prison in line with others throughout the State which have similar fully networked EWMS systems deployed, thus allowing the implementation of the Department’s environmental conservation policies.

Design Challenges

An important client objective of the expansion and upgrade of the existing facility was to significantly increase the inmate population yet reduce the volume of water used on-site and thus actually reduce the throughput of the on-site sewage treatment plant.

What was AVAC’s solution

Avac solutions were twofold to meet the design challenge posed in the client’s design requirements:

• To deploy within the new cell expansion program, the tried and tested Avac vacuum drainage system, which has been deployed within many maximum security facilities throughout the State for over 20 years, and which in itself significantly reduced the water consumption when compared with gravity toilet fixtures, whilst also offering increased security at the facility, especially by eliminating the toilet as a place for the concealment of contraband.

• To deploy their Master-trol fully networked EWMS across the whole site, controlling both vacuum drainage and water supply within the new expansion works, and controlling inmate water supply points through the rest of the existing facility.

The end result met the client’s objective of significantly reducing water consumption and sewage throughput, with water consumption by inmates reduced in excess of 75% when compared with pre-construction levels.