Ben Lomond Water operates the drinking water supply system for the towns of Westbury and Hagley. The current water supply system consists of a raw water supply, a 130 ML open raw water storage reservoir, chlorine gas disinfection plant, sodium fluoride (as Fluorodose) fluoridation plant, as well as a reticulation system.

Ben Lomond Water is committed to the construction of a new Water Treatment Plant (WTP) that shall replace the existing treatment chlorine and fluoridation plants. The new WTP shall be constructed adjacent to the open raw water storage reservoir on land owned by Ben Lomond Water.

Aquatec Maxcon was chosen as the preferred tenderer due to our track record with DAFF technology.

The scope of the project involves the construction of a new in-filter dissolved air floatation plant with a treated water production design capacity of 3.1 ML/day. The treatment process includes the following process unit operations and associated chemicals:

• Coagulation – Liquid alum;
• Flocculation;
• Dissolved air flotation and filtration (DAFF);
• Filtered water balancing;
• Disinfection – Chlorine gas;
• Fluoridation – Sodium fluoride (supplied as Fluorodose);
• pH correction – Hydrated lime;
• Filter backwashing;
• Wash water balancing;
• Sludge thickening; and
• Sludge dewatering.

The Rochester Water Treatment Plant (WTP) services a community of some 3000 in Northern Victoria which comprises of residential and commercial customers such as Murray Goulburn. The plant typically supplies an average demand of 4 MLD and has a current capacity of 10.4 MLD. The purpose of the project is to improve delivery of a safe and reliable drinking water supply to the community by upgrading the treatment plant to cope with increasing variation in raw water quality and improve the resilience of the plant to cope with flood events.

The scope shall include:

• Installation of new ozone contact column capable of providing pre-ozonation and post ozonation, as well as ozone generation;
• Installation of coagulation control;
• Installation of membrane microfiltration;
• Conversion of existing sand filters into Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) filters;
• Sewer connection upgrade to discharge chemical clean waste from the membrane process and flood mitigation sewer pump station;
• Supernatant return works for the lagoon and backwash settling tank/stormwater discharge works;
• Flood protection barriers around the WTP site;
• New buildings and new tankage; and
• Site civil and structural works, vehicle access, drainage, chemical bunds, as well as site mechanical works including water, air, and reticulation.

The Project will be delivered under a single Design and Construct Contract and, of most significance, will include the largest membrane filtration Aquatec Maxcon has done to date with a capacity of 10.4 ML/d. Delivery of the Rochester WTP also introduces our Ozonia technology to the market place.

Aquatec Maxcon has been awarded two new contracts by Seqwater for major water treatment plant upgrade works at the North Pine and Lowood Water Treatment Plants.

North Pine WTP (250ML/d) Fluoride Dosing Upgrade Contract:

These works are required to improve the security and reliability of fluoride dosing to Brisbane consumers; and include:

• Major pipeline reinforced concrete flow meter and fluoride dosing pits;
• Installation of five filtered water outlet flow meters;
• Fluoride analyser;
• Associated sample lines and TISAB waste storage tanks; and
• PLC/SCADA system upgrades. 

 Lowood WTP (20ML/d) Upgrade Works Contract:

These works are required to improve performance of the major treatment equipment; and include:

• New dual-shaft drive assembly to suit 24m dia solids contact clarifier;
• Removal and replacement of filter media in three x 32m² open gravity filter cells;
• New hydraulically actuated filter control valves, up to DN600mm size; and
• Construction of chemical dosing pit for “Statiflo” static mixer and dosing points.

Queensland Urban Utilities (QUU) was named the winner of the Industry Award at the 2012 Healthy Waterways Awards for the recently completed upgrade works on Canungra Sewerage Treatment Plant designed and constructed by Aquatec Maxcon.

The Industry Award category was open to industry sectors such as manufacturing, commerce, development and retail groups for projects aimed at improving the management of water, or the state of waterways.

As a result of the plant's new technology, the discharge into Canungra Creek will have minimal impact on the environment, which exemplifies Aquatec Maxcon’s and QUU's commitment to excellence in project outcomes and environmental management.

Congratulations to all staff who were involved with the project.