Water & Wastewater Category: Zenith Awards Finalists
Sponsored by Endress+Hauser Australia
Company: Australian Bureau of Meteorology
Project: Water storage iPhone application
Company: JS Melbourne Controls
Project: Super Water Cannon
Company: One Water Naturally
Project: Wiwo-25
Company: UGL Infrastructure
Project: Bootawa Water Treatment Plant
Company: UGL Infrastructure
Project: The St Marys Water Recycling Project
Company: Serck Controls
Project: GWMWater SCADA Alliance
Company: Wide Bay Water Corporation
Project: Nikenbah Wastewater Treatment Plant
Company: Australian Bureau of Meteorology
Project: Water storage iPhone application
Location: Australia-wide
The Bureau of Meteorology launched a Water Storage iPhone application to give iPhone users access to information for more than 250 publicly owned water storages across Australia. This application is the first time that current Australia-wide water storage information is available from a single source.
Water storage levels and volumes can now be tracked for over 250 sites across the nation, with daily upates available for most of Australia’s urban and rural water supply systems. Users can find how much water is available in Australia and can see current water levels by percentage or volume in megalitres.
They can also compare current levels with previous year, month, week or even previous day. This is part of a series of new water information products that the Bureau of Meteorology will deliver using the new Australian Water Resources Information System.
The Water Storage mobile application and website is the first step in a long-term strategy to improve community understanding of Australia’s water availability, condition and use, and to inform decision making around the management of one of Australia’s most precious natural resources.
Company: LogiCamms
Project: Groundwater Replenishment Trial
Location: Perth, Western Australia
A key objective of Western Australia’s Water Corporation is to increase wastewater recycling in the Perth metropolitan area from 6% currently to 30% by 2030.
With Perth’s groundwater being well suited to replenishment, the Water Corporation commenced a three-year Groundwater Replenishment Trial at the Advanced Water Recycling Plant (AWRP) located at their Beenyup facility in Craigie.
LogiCamms was selected by the W2W Alliance (Thiess, Black and Veatch joint venture) to design, supply and commission the Process Control System for the AWRP. The AWRP receives treated wastewater from the Beenyup WWTP which is then purified through ultra filtration, reverse osmosis (RO) and Ultraviolet treatment (UV).
The treated wastewater is pumped to aquifers between 120m to 220m underground where the water is stored and undergoes further purification through natural groundwater filtration. The water then becomes indistinguishable from natural groundwater.
LogiCamms introduced modern programming and technology including intelligent Motor Control Centres, Profinet and S7-Graph, which offered greater usability and efficiency for the operational team.
Company: CST Wastewater Solutions & Cadia Valley
Project: Cadia Valley uses FAST technology to conserve precious water
Location: Orange, New South Wales
CST Wastewater Solutions implemented a FAST technology to assist Cadia Valley in purifying human and other waste water and enable it to be recycled on-site. Unlike conventional suspended growth systems, bacteria grow rapidly on the media while the liquid that evenly circulates through the media is clear, with low solids levels.
As the bacteria grow and increase in thickness, the film strength of the bacterial growth weakens and a sloughing of surface solid occurs.
The microbes’ anaerobic action results in continuing reduction in cell mass and a reduced biological sludge accumulation to be removed from the bottom of the clarifier. This lessens the required area for tankage and associated equipment.
Typically, an extended aeration plant has a mixed liquor suspended solids level (MLSS) of 3000-4000 milligrams per litre. At this level the clarifier is being operated at close to the maximum solids flux (sludge accumulation).
With the FAST treatment system, on the other hand, the bacteria grow on the submerged media, and the mixed liquor circulating through the bacteria-laden media is essentially clear and free of suspended solids.
This reduces the MLSS flow to the clarifier to approximately 100-400 mg/L and greatly reduces the amount of solids flux, which means less stress on the clarifier.
Company: CST Wastewater Solutions & Frucor
Project: Vertical screw screen for Frucor Beverages plant at Manukau City
Location: Manukau, New Zealand
The project involves Frucor choosing a vertical screen from CST Wastewater Solutions as an ideal solution to remove solid debris from factory wastewater before its discharged into the sewer. The company needed catered to Frucor where the factory space was confined and there isn’t room for bulkier equipment.
The vertical screen provides the company with an automated process that requires far less labour than the previous ‘flat’ screen method, which necessitated regular removal of the screens by forklift, followed by hand cleaning.
The vertical screen at Frucor is positioned between the below-ground sedimentary sump and the main sump, which both hold wastewater from the entire manufacturing plant at the Manukau City site.
After the screen has removed solid material from the wastewater, it is pH corrected and discharged into the sewer. The solids are mainly fruit pulp, but also include extraneous debris such as plastic bottle caps and hairnets. This material is discharged into a bin for disposal.
The applications include wastewater pits and pump wells. Frucor has saved time and money after implementing the vertical screen. The screen is suitable for installing before a package sewage treatment plant, with or without a cylindrical receiver around the screen basket.
Company: JS Melbourne Controls
Project: Super Water Cannon
Location: Melbourne, Victoria
The project involves JS Melbourne coming up with a solution to deal with dust and the environmental impacts of spillage at a mine or holding area. The Super water Cannon enables delivery of water to a much wider area with a much further throw than conventional water blasters.
It is designed to blast water out, due to the patented flow pattern that is generated through the internal design of the cannon; it has a vastly greater flow once some air pressure is added to the configuration.
The product works by a series of specially angled, drilled holes in an internal ring.
When the water assisted by some pressure passes through, it is actually sent into a circular motion, gathering speed and energy as it does so. The energy pattern is in a vortex shape and provides immense thrust when it exits the chamber.
CI Agents have found that the Melbourne Water Cannon is the perfect product to deliver their special polymer over an oil spill area.
Company: One Water Naturally
Project: Wiwo-25
Location: Belrose, New South Wales
One Water Naturally designed a water conservation and management system WiWo (Water in water out) to utilise a range of alternate water sources in preference to mains delivered reticulated water when an alternate source of non-reticulated water is available.
Alternate water sources include stored rainwater, quality-treated recycled water, dam, stream, river and aquifer water.
These sources can be utilised in applications such as washing machines, toilet cisterns and for garden irrigation where mains delivered drinking quality water is not necessary and other water sources can be used.
The system enables seamless switching back to reticulated mains water once the alternative water source has been consumed or in the event of a power failure and ensures a continuous water supply.
When alternative water is again available, WiWo will automatically switch off the mains supply and use the stored water as the primary source for any application that is connected to the system.
The product is the culmination of a combination of industrial automation technology with industrial water control products into a consumer level device.
The heart of the systems is a proprietary micro programmable logic controller using a single system on a chip design. It uses 3G connectivity and directly using in source sensors.
Company: UGL Infrastructure
Project: Bootawa Water Treatment Plant
Location: Bootawa Dam, New South Wales
MidCoast Water developed a Bootawa Water Treatment plant to improve Manning water supply scheme.
The plant was constructed by UGL Infrastructure, has an initial capacity of 60 megalitres per day (MLD) with provision to be upgraded to a capacity of 75MLD.
The main processes and advancements to water quality treatment include membrane filtration, ozonation, Biological Acitivated Carbon (BAC) filtration, chlorine disinfection, final pH correction and fluoridation.
A waste treatment system and chemical systems were also provided. The new membrane plant delivers an improvement in biological, chemical and physical properties of the water, providing better quality drinking water to the region.
The control system for the new plant is using modern technologies to provide a reliable and robust system with user friendly operator interface for optimal control. The control system for the Bootawa WTP is designed to provide a fully automated solution with minimal operator input and remote access facilities through the Internet.
The Bootawa WTP project has delivered a world class treatment facility producing drinking water fully complying with the requirements of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.
Company: UGL Infrastructure
Project: The St Marys Water Recycling Project
Location: St Marys, New South Wales
The St Marys Water Recycling Project in western Sydney involves producing high quality recycled water to conserve drinking water and enhance river health. Sydney Water and project partners Deerubbin Water Futures developed the project as part of the NSW Government’s Metropolitan Water Plan.
The plan utilises dams, water efficiency, desalination and water recycling to secure the water supply for Australia’s largest city and surrounding areas, and for the environment.
The project is $209 million and produces up to 18 billion litres of high quality recycled water a year, is the largest single contributor to achieving the water recycling target of 70 billion litres a year. The project supports river health by reducing nutrient levels in the Hawkesbury-Nepean river system.
It also enables conservation of valuable drinking water held upstream in Warragamba Dam that would otherwise be released for environmental purposes. Treated effluent from three wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) at St Marys, Quakers Hill and Penrith is now transferred to an Advanced Water Treatment Plant (AWTP) at St Marys.
The effluent passes through ultra filtration (UF) and reverse osmosis (RO) processes treating it to near drinking water quality. Up to 50 million litres of water a day is discharged from the plant to the Hawkesbury-Nepean River.
Company: Serck Controls
Project: GWMWater SCADA Alliance
Location: North West Victoria, Victoria
The scope of this project was to install SCADA facilities at a number of existing Urban Water and Waste Water assets, the new Wimmera Mallee Pipeline (WMP) assets and Headwork assets.
Serck Controls assisted with the implementation; previously GWMWater had a combination of independent systems resulting from the merger of previous Wimmera Mallee Water and Grampians Water Authorities in 2004.
As such the unified SCADA system now consists of more than 400 sites comprising of 60 Headworks sites, 25 Northern Mallee Pipeline (NMP) sites, 265 urban sites and approximately 50 WMP sites. These systems were connected and seamlessly integrated into the one SCADA system operating across the region.
GWMWater and Serck Controls continue to work together as partners building and maintaining the SCADA system ensuring GWMWater has visibility and control over their critical infrastructure which covers more than 60,000 sq kilometres.
This is essential in an environment of critical water supply issues that cover floods, drought, breakages and environmental control amongst others.
Company: Wide Bay Water Corporation
Project: Nikenbah Wastewater Treatment Plant
Location: Hervey Bay, Queensland
Wide Bay Water Corporation assisted in creating a $33.5 million wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Nikenbah. The company set out to build a facility with capacity equivalent to the water use of 10,000 homes or 4.8 million litres per day.
The facility situated beside an 800ML effluent lagoon at Nikenbah, also needed to be able to expand its capacity nearly three-fold in line with population growth to 14.4 ML/d.
Using filtration technology, the wastewater would be treated to a standard above EPA levels with the aim of recycling 90% of the treated wastewater from the plant.
The water could then be used as a supplementary water source for irrigation or potable water substitution in future drought situations.
The company used Schneider Electric’s PlantStruxure which is a collaborative system that enables industrial and infrastructure companies to meet automation needs, whilst at the same time delivering on growing efficiency requirements.
The PlantStruxure hardware, software and support, system integrators Conneq i.Power Solutions designed and implemented the comprehensive electrical and process automation infrastructure for the WWTP.
Sponsored by Endress+Hauser Australia
Endress+Hauser Australia Pty Ltd, a full subsidiary of the Endress+Hauser Group, focuses on supply, service and training of a complete range of process field measurement and instrumentation solutions for all process industries. Sales and services are based in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Newcastle with additional sales offices in Adelaide and Gladstone.