Burdekin Shire Council is located between Townsville and Bowen in North Queensland. It covers an area of 5,053 km2 and has a population of around 18,500 people. Ayr is the largest town with a population of around 8,500.

Like most towns across Australia, sewage odour and the consequent infrastructure corrosion is a serious concern. Sewage odour is a significant OH&S risk, while sewage infrastructure corrosion rates and consequent failure are a high cost for the Shire.

In an endeavour to tackle the OH&S Risk from sewage odour and its associated infrastructure corrosion cost, Burdekin Shire Council has trialled a number of dosing systems with varying degrees of success. The current dosing system employed minimises the OH&S risk from sewage odour, has eliminated odour complaints from the dosed area of the system and minimised infrastructure corrosion.

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One year into the integration of Drive By Automated Meters in the Western Downs region, this paper will present the results so far of the implementation and meter reading process and compare the outcomes with the anticipated benefits as initially considered when the decision to implement Drive By Automated Meters was made.

When this paper was first offered in 2010, data was limited to anticipated results. Although extensive research was undertaken at the conceptual stage to establish projected benefits, actual results such as implementation timeframes and labour costing were limited. With further installations of Drive By Automated Meters throughout the region a more precise illustration can now be presented in relation to the cost effectiveness of Drive By Automated Meters.

Western Downs Regional Council has accomplished a billing cycle since initiating the integration of the meter reading system. Actual data on the number of false reads as well as labour costs concerning reading time can now be offered and evaluate against initial estimates.

This paper will examine the integration process of Drive By Automated Meters by Western Downs Regional Council to establish if our primary objectives of an automated system that would reduce meter reading times and our secondary objective for a product that would be easily integrated into our billing system are being met through comparison of actual verses anticipated results over the year.

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Gympie Regional Council is replacing its existing sewerage treatment plant with a new BNR plant. The plant is under construction adjacent to the existing plant. In the early stages of this project it was necessary to demolish the existing sludge drying beds, to allow for construction of the new plant.

As a result the plant had to find an effective means of removal of sludge for a period of up to 2 years. A temporary method of sludge removal was developed by the use of geotextile bags.

This paper describes the establishment of a low capital cost dewatering system using geotextile bags. It outlines the methods used, and difficulties that arose. Development of this temporary dewatering system has allowed Council to remove sludge at a significantly reduced cost.

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This presentation is to tell our story of how we were able to maintain water supply to most communities in our region. I fully understand that there are a lot of untold stories of people’s efforts during the recent January Floods of 2011, how unselfishly people worked to care and cater for their fellow man. That is why I thought I would try and portray the work that Seqwater put into the Somerset region during this event, not to praise our efforts but to relate what can be done, to the best of everyone’s ability, with what is available. Some of the reticulation systems had flood damage and this caused loss of supply to certain areas, but this talk is related to keeping supply up to the majority of the reticulation system.

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The effectiveness of a lamella clarifier unit for primary treatment of domestic wastewater was investigated. The trial was divided in to three operational phases: Phase I – operation of a conventional primary sedimentation tank; Phase II: operation of a lamella clarifier for primary settlement; Phase III – operation of lamella clarifier for primary settlement in conjunction with a chemical coagulant (aluminium chlorohydrate). The performance of the lamella clarifier was assessed in terms of the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), suspended solids (SS), total nitrogen and total phosphorus removal efficiencies.

Results demonstrated that the lamella clarifier unit performed favourably when compared to the conventional primary sedimentation tank, with BOD5 and SS removal efficiencies of 30% and 57%, respectively (Phase II). The operation of the lamella clarifier in conjunction with coagulant (Phase III) enhanced nutrient removal, thereby improving the overall performance of the system.

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Calcium Hypochlorite (CH) is a strong oxidizer and an effective anti-microbial compound. It serves as a multi-functional sanitizer in drinking water, wastewater treatment, irrigation, swimming pools and spas, fruit washing, beverage plants, cooling towers and abattoirs.

In municipal and wastewater treatment CH is used at all stages from Surface Raw Water, Finished Water, Booster Stations, Reservoirs, Remote Well Sites, Reclaimed Water and Overflows. It is used as backup chlorination on chlorine gas treatment plants and in emergency potable and wastewater treatment situations across the world.

This paper reviews the properties of CH with a focus on evolving practical application through a range of Case Studies.

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During extended shutdown periods it is necessary to preserve microfiltration (MF) racks to inhibit biological growth on the fibres within the membrane. Biological growth on the fibres will lead to reduced performance when the units are put back into service, with extensive chemical cleaning necessary to improve performance to acceptable levels.

The Luggage Point Advanced Water Treatment Plant (AWTP) has gone through two extended shutdown periods where it has been necessary to preserve all of the MF racks. After the initial shutdown, the success of the preservation process was measured by the extent of decay of the preservation solution. At Luggage Point AWTP, the decay of the preservation solution demonstrated greater than expected results. Thus, in the subsequent shutdown period, daily monitoring was conducted to monitor the performance of the preservation process. This paper will discuss some of the issues observed at the Luggage Point AWTP during the preservation processes. The results of the daily testing conducted will be presented, with the observed rate of the preservation solution degradation discussed.

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Paxton wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is a 1000 kL/day capacity facility situated in the Hunter Valley of NSW, Australia. A growing population as well as tighter discharge requirements for the sensitive discharge environment resulted in the need for a plant upgrade. The upgrade was delivered via an Alliance contract, with Hunter Water Australia, as the contacted operator, liaising closely with the Alliance team. This paper outlines practical issues involved in the brownfield upgrade and commissioning of the membrane bioreactor process adopted for the upgrade, as well as the problems encountered and the changes made in order to resolve them. Performance results for the upgraded plant are also presented.

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2011 heralds new opportunities for current and past Wide Bay Institute of TAFE water students. Using the global industry networking website, LinkedIn, and TAFE QLD web conferencing technology, iConnect; water students now have the ability to discuss their industry with local and international experts in their field of study through active, real time discussions. Students in Term 1, 2011 have participated in discussions with presenters from Queensland, Syria, Jordan and California. These 30 minute industry collaboration sessions are scheduled monthly to broaden the learning experience for all Water Operations students who are enrolled with Wide Bay Institute of TAFE across Australia. iConnect is a web conferencing tool which allows the use of a shared whiteboard, VOIP (voice over the internet protocol), instant message texting, instant polling for surveys etc which when facilitated effectively, immerses the students in their learning. Sessions of interest are also recorded for later viewing. This technology supports teaching methods used by Higher Education, and will be the focus of delivery for new qualification options of NWP40107 Certificate IV in Water Operations and NWP50107 Diploma Water Operations released for enrolment this year.

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On the 10th of January 2011 Toowoomba Regional Council Toowoomba water storages Cooby, Perseverance and Cressbrook overflowed for the first time in 10 years, causing a significant change in raw water quality. This paper presents what associated impacts the change in quality of the raw water had on the Mt Kynoch WTP.

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In 2004 Hunter Water embarked on a new method of reviewing and enhancing operational monitoring of plant performance involving undertaking critical control point (CCP) analysis of their treatment plants. It was found the most effective outcome was achieved through holding workshops involving all levels of the operations team. Plant operators are considered essential to the successful outcome due to their in-depth knowledge and understanding of the treatment process. In undertaking CCP analysis a number of operational benefits have been realised.

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The installation of the Beenyup WWTP Biological Odour Control System, supplied by Clean TeQ Limited, supports the acceptance of BioTrickling Filter technology within Australia as the technology of choice for the demanding application of gas phase H2S mitigation. It also supports a growing trend that has seen advances in design and understanding flow through to the public arena positioning the BioTrickling Filter as the technology of choice not only for H2S applications, but also for the demanding application of Odour and VOC’s mitigation. By utilizing dual stage treatment in a single vessel this project showcases the ability of the Biotrickling Filter as the all-rounder treatment technology for WWTP applications. It has also proven that odour control is no longer considered an afterthought, but is a critical part of the WWTP’s process that must be addressed to ensure compliance and operational security.

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Burst water mains and pin hole leaks in pressure pipes, have always been repaired by the traditional methods of ‘excavate and replace’. Little thought has ever been given to trenchless NoDig technologies that apply to so many other aspects of our lives.

With the ability to insert a stent into an artery or vein, how is it we still rip up a road to fix a water pipe? With the roll out of the new century, is it not time to bring new technology to our assistance?

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The Queensland Water Directorate (qldwater) is the central advisory and advocacy body within Queensland’s urban water industry and represents members comprised of Local Governments and other Service Providers across the state. For the past three years, qldwater has been working with the industry to further develop workforce planning and to enhance and retain valuable skills unique to the industry.

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GSA will be involved in substantial development work surrounding the simplification of Training Packages over the next two years. This will see significant changes in the way Training Packages are presented and used by industry and RTOs.

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For many years, water has been at the forefront of public and media attention, mostly as a result of prolonged drought. The topics most often discussed relate to reservoir levels, restrictions and management of our rivers. Little attention is given to the operational side of the industry and the challenges that need to be met on a daily basis.

Issues such as variable and often poor quality source water, under-designed or over extended water treatment plants, algal blooms, and in more recent times flooded water and wastewater treatment plants, damaged infrastructure and a host of other issues all impact on our ability to supply safe, palatable drinking water every single time the consumer turns on their tap.

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Hunter Water Australia has been contracted since 1998 to operate and maintain six water treatment plants and eighteen wastewater treatment plants in the lower Hunter region of NSW. The contract model is management fee plus reimbursable fees and incorporates profit adjustment based on cost and water/effluent quality performance. Incentives are also in place to encourage innovation and optimisation. Embedded ‘relationship’ principles encourage operation as ‘one-team’ with a common set of objectives. Strong focus on continuous improvement has allowed refinement of systems for process monitoring and control, risk reduction and asset management. This paper provides an overview of our current operation, including commentary on lessons learned and the results achieved.

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Most water system operators, especially those tasked with maintaining an aging water system have at one time or another been required to carry out mains cleaning. For large diameter pipes, this generally involves use of a large sponge or plastic swab or pig, excavation of the pipeline at each end to install pig launchers and catchers, weeks of interruption to supply and a considerable burden on resources. Now, thanks to an important innovation by Professor Joe Quarini from Bristol University and Agbar Environment, a Bristol based company (the sole company licensed in the water industry to undertake ice pigging), the drawbacks of swabbing mains for both the water authority and its customers can be avoided with a new mains cleaning method called ice pigging. The method involves pumping an ice slurry into a water main usually through a hydrant or air valve. Once in place, the ice pig is moved along the pipe via normal water flows, controlled by a downstream valve and is removed via a hydrant or air valve upstream.

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Up until January 2011 the Toowoomba region was in the grip of one of the worst droughts on record. During the dry conditions Council implemented measures to conserve the remaining storage supplies, Level 5 water restrictions were introduced and ground water extraction was increased after drilling and equipping additional basalt aquifer bores. In January 2011 flood events were experienced and all 3 surface storage supplies filled above full supply level. The flood event stretched Council resources to the limit and caused significant damage to council’s water infrastructure. Sewer and water mains were washed from their foundations, major pump stations were submerged and dam walls experienced water levels and hydraulic loads higher than ever previously recorded.

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