2019 – 44th WIOA Queensland Water Industry Operations Conference and Exhibition
5 & 6 June 2019 at the Bundaberg Multiplex
Hosted by: Bundaberg regional Council
Prime Sponsors: Alliance Automation, Calix, Hach, Ixom and Xylem
The following papers are listed in order of the conference program
From wastewater to community benefits and opportunities – Best Operator Paper Victoria 2018 Paul Beard – Water Corporation
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The Water Corporation of Western Australia (WA) has established partnerships with community groups and not-for-profit organisations to successfully deliver a number of community-based projects that have resulted in economic and social benefits for people in the remote West Kimberley region of WA. These projects include; delivering a community grants scheme solely funded through the wastewater disposal process, providing Aboriginal trainees with practical agricultural experience and partnering with an Aboriginal organisation to establish a seed bank of native plants using recycled water. Viewed together, these projects redefine the value of recycled water and introduce a viable model for other water utilities to partner with local groups to benefit the community, particularly in regional areas.
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Septicity and corrosion action plan Amie Aldred & Mohammed Hayat – Logan Water Infrastructure Alliance
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Over half of Loganholme’s combined trunk and reticulation network is comprised of corrosion prone materials (concrete maintenance holes, concrete pipe and ductile iron concrete lined pipe). In areas where septicity is high, accelerated corrosion will reduce the remaining life of these vulnerable assets and could lead to premature and costly asset renewals and odour complaints. Recently, Logan City Council (Council) recognised that an action plan is needed to better understand septicity and corrosion hot spots in the Loganholme WWTP catchment and develop a strategy to manage the issues.
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The urban water cycle’s future cities Gary Fenwick – Queensland Urban Utilities
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Only a fraction of the water on Earth is fresh and readably consumable. Securing its quantity and quality within the urban water cycle allows Australian cities to maintain a healthy existence. Climate change in the form of reduced precipitation and population growth (urbanisation) are increasing the pressure on water supplies and the environment. This is driving cities to evolve their management style. Water corporations should embrace adaptive, multifunctional infrastructure to future proof their place in this market. Reducing costs to service and enhancing the environment through water sensitive practices can help drive this outcome. Providing wastewater effluent water schemes to customers is one example of how this can be achieved.
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Yarraman WTP THM control through enhanced coagulation and technology Wayne Handford – Toowoomba Regional Council
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The Yarraman water scheme has always struggled with Trihalomethane (THM) failures in its reticulation network. In 2014. a THM event continued for over 12 months with the standard response of lowering treated water turbidity, optimising processes, reticulation controls, and PAC addition not being able to effectively reduce the THM results below ADWG limits. This event was eventually closed off after a second raw water source came on line and an aeration system was installed in Reservoir #1.
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Kingaroy Nereda© WWTP recycled water and benefits to the community Andrew Watson – South Burnett Regional Council
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In mid-2016, Aquatec Maxcon along with Royal HaskoningDHV commissioned Australia’s first full-scale Aerobic Granular Sludge (Nereda®) WWTP. The WWTP has the ability to produce Class A+ Recycled Water providing community benefit to the local sporting field, golf course, show grounds and on-site reuse. The secondary effluent from the Nereda® is such quality that after disinfection and detention, it can be applied directly to the South Burnett Regional Council neighbouring 30Ha farm utilising two fixed pivot irrigators to commercialise a resource and further reduce the residual nutrient load that would otherwise end up in the catchment that supplies Kingaroy’s water supply.
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Eliminating confined space entry for pump maintenance at major pump stations Anthony Domanti & Scott Smith – Logan Water Infrastructure Alliance and Logan City Council
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The Alfred Street SPS69 wastewater pump station is the largest in Logan, servicing 200,000 people in the Loganholme Wastewater Treatment Plant catchment. Each pump at the station weighs five tonnes and is in a 22m deep wet well. Pump removal has been challenging for many years, requiring confined space entry, and the use of a ‘man-cage’, two overhead bridge cranes and a crane-truck. This case study discusses how pump removal was simplified and made safer by manufacturing a specialised lifting device. This has eliminated the need for maintenance staff to be lowered into the wet well.
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Trial study of sensor-based technology at Kenilworth STP Cale Maclean – Unitywater
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Effective measurement of in-situ sludge is key in operation and maintenance of the waste stabilisation ponds in Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs). Effective sludge measurements are also essential from a budget perspective. Current methods of sludge measurements are time-consuming and inconsistent mainly due to agreed settleability point of fluff and sludge blanket level. Use of sensor-based technology has potential advantages over conventional methods. In October 2018, a sludge survey using Cerlic’s Multitracker and Blanko – a flow through portable-hand controlled optical sensor designed to measure suspended solids, temperature and sludge blanket level, was trialled at Kenilworth STP.
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Magnesium hydroxide dosing trial Hayley Paton – Cassowary Coast Regional Council
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In 2005, a sewer system was built for Mission Beach area allowing sewage to be pumped 23km to the township of Tully for treatment. It was discovered that the sewer between Mission Beach and Tully was not lasting as long as it should, with sections failing and needing to be replaced within a 10-year period. It was discovered that due to the long retention time within the sewer, Hydrogen Sulphide was forming and attacking the concrete lining of the pipe. To extend the longevity of the sewer, it was decided to conduct a trial using Magnesium Hydroxide to reduce the effects of Hydrogen Sulphide forming in the sewer.
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Biological activation of gravity filters by dechlorination of backwash water Shahzad Sandhu and Kendall Niblett – Lower Murray Water
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Since the commissioning in 2005, the dual media gravity filters of Mildura West WTP (20 ML/D) were back washed with retic water containing residual amounts of chlorine (1-1.2 mg/L). This eliminated the biomass development in the filter bed and PAC was dosed continuously to remove the Geosmin associated earthy/musty odour in the filtered water. The understandable solution was to use filtered water for back washing, but it would have involved major capital costs and augmentation of existing infrastructure, so instead, operations chose to trial dechlorination of backwash water with Sodium Metabisulfite (SMBS).
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ABCD compact modular outdoor arc-flash containment switchboard Peter Taylor – P.T. Automation Solutions
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PTAS’s ABCD (Arc-Blast Containment and Diffusion technology) is a unique invention that enables a compact outdoor switchboard to be capable of containing the catastrophic outcomes of an electrical arc-flash explosion. Such explosions are not common but hospitalise 39* electrical operators and electricians each year with significant 3rd degree burns. Fatalities do occur.
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The benefits of bio-augmentation technology at the Atherton WWTP Anthony Ruge and Scott Buckley – Tablelands Regional Council and Water Treatment Services
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The Atherton WWTP received an influent with high FOGs and irregular septic loads that cause plant upsets and bacterial foaming. A new to Australia bio-augmentation treatment “WTS 13-Biotifx Ultra” was implemented to help reduce the bacteria foaming and to help improve the overall plant operations. The bio-augmentation treatment led to a substantial decrease in bacteria related foaming, reductions in sludge volumes, improvements in a number of regularly analysed plant parameters and a reduction bio-solids and the associated transportation costs.
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Saved by the operator – Best Paper Overall South Australia 2018 Melanie Slimming – SAWater
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Deterioration of clay pipes within the sewer network led to significant infiltration in recent years; the plant’s daily average flow is 3.5 ML/D however, during heavy rainfall events the plant receives up to 6 ML/D, well in excess of the design capacity. Increased influent flow causes the plant to change into high flow mode where the treatment cycles within the SBR are shorter. During these cycles the influent is not treated as effectively and in an exceptionally high rainfall events the SBRs are bypassed with the untreated sewer discharged into the lagoon system. As a result, the plant was not effectively treating wastewater, with elevated ammonia concentrations and higher suspended solids decanting into the lagoons.
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MacGyver’s guide to condition assessments Gary Edwards & Janice Wilson – DGH Engineering and Whitsunday Regional Council
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Mackay Regional Council (MRC) and Whitsunday Regional Council (WRC) are two regional water and wastewater utilities located in central and north Queensland. DGH Engineering is a Mackay based, locally owned engineering and maintenance service company engaged by both councils to provide mechanical and planning support for a series of condition assessments across the region. The condition assessments were undertaken as part of a movement to improve each organisations asset data, condition and residual useful life as part of an overall strategy to maximise the utilisation of assets.
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Water treatment, does it stop at the plant? Marcus Boyd and Terry Heness – Toowoomba Regional Council
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The Mt Kynoch Water Treatment Plant (WTP) provides drinking water to consumers in Toowoomba and surrounding areas. Treated water is pumped into three bulk water reservoirs prior to supplying the distribution system. The reservoir system has a total capacity of 30.5 ML. Treated water enters the reservoirs with a chlorine residual of 3.4 – 4.0 mg/L. An ideal chlorine residual range of 1.9 and 2.1 mg/l is required leaving the reservoirs. From entry to exit point of the reservoir system chlorine decay is evident, with approximately 50% of the chlorine thought to be used in storage.
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Cairns Regional Council diffuser membrane replacement program Andy Elshaw – Cairns Regional Council
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Cairns Regional Council owns and operates the three following Wastewater Treatment Plants; Marlin Coast (8.3ML/day), Northern (19.45ML/day) and Southern (19.45ML/day). Between 2017 and 2018 Council replaced the existing diffuser membranes due to poor asset condition, which had been in service since 2009. The existing diffuser grids were removed from service while the treatment plants remained operational. Removal of the diffuser grids was made more challenging due to the large amount of debris which had accumulated on the diffuser grids. As a result of the replacement works, Council has achieved a total annual power saving across all three plants of $135,000.00 and reduced power consumption by 730,000 kWh.
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Safer work processes: An evaluation of the codesafe system David Broadhurst – QIN CodeSafe Solutions
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Construction workers possess valuable information about work health and safety (H&S). However, most workers are not involved in decision making about how work is designed and performed. There is a gap between ‘work as imagined’ and ‘work as performed’. Work as imagined refers to documented H&S procedures and method statements, which are often overly long and complex, yet still, do not cover all eventualities. Work as performed refers to adaptive behaviour and “workarounds” sometimes used by workers to perform their work safely. CodeSafe Solutions has developed an innovative process to make explicit construction workers’ H&S knowledge, enabling it to be used in the redesign of work processes.
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Algae control in potable water dams Ken Steel – Aquapac
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Earth Science Laboratories (ESL) is an innovative technology development company in the USA that has developed products for the drinking water, agricultural and swimming pool industries. Aquapac is a water treatment specialist company based in Australia and has become the sole distributor for the ESL product range in Australia.
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Evolutionary approach of chemical dosing at Loganholme WWTP for phosphorus trimming Imtiaj Ali – Logan City Council
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The paper describes an evolutionary approach on improving a chemical dosing system that was installed in 2007/08 and was never used for seven years until 2014. A chemical dosing trial was conducted in 2014 using Ferric Chloride; several improvement opportunities were identified including flow paced dosing and flow capping to avoid overdosing of chemical. A major upgrade of the chemical dosing system was carried out as a result of the first trial. Permanent chemical dosing was commenced in November 2016 using Ferrous Chloride. Ferrous Chloride dosing at Loganholme Wastewater Treatment Plant has been proven effective.
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Controlling the odours, and minimizing the hydrogen sulphide at the Bundamba STP Martin Coromandel – Queensland Urban Utilities
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Odour complaints have been received from staff and high levels of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) were measured on data loggers. A thorough study of the environment, plant and equipment was done to look at the source of the H2S. This insight was a way to identify the issues and improve the working environment for our staff. The operators monitored various times, locations, operational trends, and odour control equipment. They also implemented a misting dosing system and tracked the results.
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Performance study: Removal of PFAS contaminants with powdered activated carbon Peta Thiel – Research Laboratory Services
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The presence of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), in particular PFOA and PFOS, in many raw water sources is of increasing concern across water treatment and regulatory bodies and consumer communities. This study aimed to investigate the ability of a range of PACs to remove PFOA and PFOS from a wide range of water matrices, with varying total PFAS concentrations, DOC levels and in the presence of taste and odour compounds MIB and geosmin.
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Reducing water quality risks during high source water bromide and salt events Duncan Shillito – Seqwater
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Seqwater’s largest Water Treatment Plants (WTPs), Mt Crosby East Bank and West Bank, produce up to 800ML/d combined that supplies the majority of drinking water for the South East Queensland (SEQ) region associated with The Water Grid. The raw water source is the Mid-Brisbane River (MBR) with the predominant supply coming from releases through Wivenhoe Dam. The water quality is typically good and stable. However, in periods of rainfall in the MBR catchment, a few problematic tributaries contribute high levels of salt and bromide, sometimes without increases in turbidity and colour.
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Cyber security of critical infrastructure in Queensland water services Sue Larsen – Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy (Queensland)
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Cyber security requirements have been integrated into Queensland’s regulatory framework for drinking and recycled water service providers. The new requirements are in response to recommendations made in the Queensland Audit Office’s (QAO) report on the Security of Critical Infrastructure (Report 19:2016-17). QAO’s audit aimed to determine the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to information technology and cyber security hazards.
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Gin Gin Water Treatment Plant (WTP) upgrade Karl Zimmerlie – Bundaberg Regional Council
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Gin Gin township is located about 50 km southwest of Bundaberg. The Gin Gin Water Treatment Plant (WTP) supplies potable water to the Gin Gin township with a total connected population of approximately 1,600. The Gin Gin WTP is a package conventional treatment plant that was commissioned by Aquagenics in December 2002. It has a nominal treatment capacity of 25 L/s, or 2 ML/day of treated water if operated on a 24-hour basis.
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