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Your say on... The water crisis

The proposed Actew/ACT Government Water2Water initiative asks Canberrans to focus on a purification process that will allow water from our sewerage treatment plant to be fed into the drinking water supplies. Water Plus believes that it is probable that the process would be safe and successful. Notwithstanding this, we believe that the proposal fails to meet the real needs of the people of Canberra, increases costs and unnecessarily damages the environment.

We have therefore prepared the below proposal as an alternative approach which is superior to the Water2Water initiative.

The implementation of our proposal will:

provide as much or more reusable water
delay and/or eliminate the need for more dams
greatly reduce the high energy requirements, hence greenhouse gas emissions, associated with the reverse osmosis and pumping processes
generate better public acceptance
help alleviate any public fears and the risks of introducing water from treatment plants to the drinking water supply
provide a greater sense of empowerment to more Canberra residents
reduce the pressure on the Lower Molonglo Treatment Plant
reduce the costs of upgrading sewerage infrastructure
ease restrictions on the future size of Canberra due to water availability
provide new revenue streams for Actew and government
reduce salts by reducing the amount of treated effluent discharged to the Murrumbidgee river
maintain the sporting and leisure lifestyle of Canberra
retain the capital value of our sporting ovals and parklands
return to the green city and pleasant aesthetics of fountains and water features
reduce the timeframe to have viable systems in place
eliminate the rinse water usage (concentrate) associated with reverse osmosis membrane processing
eliminate the cleaning chemicals associated with membrane filtration
cost considerably less

Many Canberrans feel powerless about the water situation and worry about the effect that water restrictions are having on their families lifestyles including sporting activities and gardens. People are limited in the amount of options available and must rely on the current water infrastructure which was designed in the 1960’s.

Approved and proven Australian developed technology is now available to allow the community to rethink the practice of channelling all our waste water to a central plant for processing.

We believe that sewer mining from the sewer mains, together with individual commercial premises and households capturing and treating of all their combined household grey and black waste water, is the best first option. While the public perception of Grey water is still that it is safer and easier to reuse, it actually is more effectively treated if combined with black water and more water is recovered as a result. Whilst commercial systems are being installed, only South Australia has approved some domestic blackwater recycling systems in sewered areas, subject to local authority approval. Systems are available to meet the Class A reuse/recycle water standards for gardens, toilet flushing, car washing and general uses other than drinking.

Queensland has also rated at least one system as a higher standard A+ quality. Treatment plants now feature odourless, noiseless reliable and chemical free processes for irrigation purposes. Storage and reuse for other purposes usually requires a storage tank and chemical sanitisation. The average household currently uses 65-80% of its water for non-human consumptive purposes. Householders could recycle up to 450,000 litres per annum and save hundreds of dollars in water costs - while keeping the precious Australian lifestyle in tact.

Sewer mining treatment plants can be strategically placed throughout the suburbs providing water for our green areas, industry (including road building and construction), car washing, fire fighting, commercial and hotel laundries and general cleaning. Sanitised water from the treatment plants could be used for reticulation to nearby commercial and other buildings. Web based monitoring of systems are inexpensive providing instant notification of maintenance and safety issues.

Sewer mining has previously been criticised due to the reduced need for irrigation during the winter months. Either additional storage would address this issue or the waste water would be allowed to flow to the Lower Molonglo treatment plant when demand is low.

Actew would gain revenue from the sale of water from sewer mining plants under their control. Revenue may also be available in providing loans to interested householders which could be paid off with general rates over an agreed term. Other government revenue can be obtained through application fees and licensing fees. Not everyone will be able to afford domestic systems however residents in general would benefit from the maintenance of public facilities.

Please see http://www.actew.com.au/water2water/FAQ.aspx

Is sewer mining feasible?

It reads - For 7.3 gigalitres of water produced, the cost is estimated at $356 million per annum, translating to $7.38 per kilolitre. - We call on the author to explain the calculations behind these cost estimates. In general, there is very little detail supplied in the answer for what is a viable option.

How much will the projects cost?

Investigations are underway to look at the capital and operating costs of the proposal. Early estimates for the two projects Water2WATER and enlarging the Cotter Dam is about $350m, but the final figure will of course depend on market price.

Estimates for annual operation and maintenance are $10 million for the water purification plant, and about $0.8 million for pumping to the Lower Cotter.

Water2Water will supply an estimated 9 gigalitres of water per annum. Our current supply costs for the same capacity Sewer Mining treatment plants are calculated to be less than $150 million. Similarly, ongoing costs are well within the estimated annual operational and maintenance costs of $10.8 million. This means a capital savings of at least $200 million which could be used for other water saving initiatives such as storm water harvesting. Should a similar Water2Water recycling system fail anywhere in the world, it may undermine public confidence to the extent that all the proposed infrastructure expenditure may be wasted.

Water Plus will benefit financially whichever way the water debate is decided.

For further information contact Peter Norton-Baker, Water Plus Fyshwick. Ph: 02 62808125 email: peter@waterplus.com.au