WATER NEWS

28 October 2008
Growing attention for startup

A company working on commercialising its electronic water clarification and purification technology has received growing attention since winning its round of “The New Inventors” on ABC TV.
Federal minister for infrastructure, transport, regional development and local government Anthony Albanese recently visited Research Water, a company which has been awarded a $64,000 AusIndustry Commercialising Emerging Technologies (COMET) grant.
"This is exciting technology that has been recognised by the government and an expert panel on the ABC," said Anthony Albanese.
The technology converts polluted non salty water to drinkable quality in a short amount of time. It is a genuine Australian invention that has a wide range of uses, including providing clean and cheap drinking water in the third world.
The purification system can run with minimal power and is a cheaper alternative to bottled water.

28 October 2008
Review of water purchase program released

An independent review of the first round of the federal government’s Murray-Darling Basin water purchase program has found it was efficiently run and achieved good value for money.
Federal minister for climate change and water senator Penny Wong said Hyder Consulting had reviewed the government’s initial Basin-wide water purchase tender, conducted February to May this year.
Wong said this year’s whole-of-Basin tender was the first time the federal government had directly purchased water to be held as a permanent entitlement for the Basin’s rivers and wetlands.
The Hyder Consulting review endorsed the use of environmental need and value for money as the main factors used to assess water entitlements offered for sale. It also recommended improved communication by the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) of environmental benefits and priorities of the purchases.
The review found the water purchase had very little impact on regional production and income in the last financial year, particularly in the context of very low water allocations.
In response to the review findings, Senator Wong said DEWHA planned a range of new measures to improve current and future water purchase processes.

28 October 2008
South Australians slash drinking water use           

South Australian minister for water security Karlene Maywald congratulated Adelaide metropolitan councils for reducing their potable water consumption by 37% during the past financial year.
“In the 2006/07 financial year councils used about 6100ML of potable water, however last year this figure dropped significantly to about 3800ML,” she said.
Maywald said 16 councils across Adelaide have made a combined potable water reduction of almost 2.3GL, helping to further reduce the pressure on the State’s mains water supply.
These savings can be largely attributed to the Irrigated Public Open Space, or IPOS, Code of Practice, which provides guidelines for best practice turf and irrigation management for all public open spaces, she said.
Minister Maywald says the biggest savings in water use were realised last summer with the need for increased conservation coinciding with the lower level of water availability.

28 October 2008 
Grant for coal seam water study

Queensland Gas Company managing director Richard Cottee has welcomed the Queensland government’s $5 million grant for a feasibility study into the use of water produced from coal seam gas (CSG) extraction.
Premier Anna Bligh said a detailed feasibility study would examine the use of coal seam gas water. Vast quantities of water are extracted daily from Surat Basin coal seams as part of the CSG production process. Currently, this water is deemed a waste byproduct and, as such, pumped into purpose built evaporation ponds.
“The water is plentiful and there will be a lot more of it as the coal seam gas industry grows,” Cottee said. “We are simply saying ‘look at this water.’ It is fantastic opportunity for Queensland.”
QGC currently has the capacity to produce about 17ML/d and is negotiating an agreement with the Dalby Regional Council to supply half a billion litres a year to the town of Miles.

28 October 2008
Design work awarded for major plant upgrade

Global engineering, consulting and construction company Black & Veatch has been awarded a contract to perform a preliminary engineering design project at the 2.9GL/d Wylie Water Treatment Plant Complex operated by the North Texas Municipal Water District in the US.
The design will include the addition of ozone technology for drinking water disinfection as well as taste and odour control at the complex. The plant serves more than 1.5 million customers.
“Using ozone offers substantial water quality improvements in an energy-efficient manner, and further protects the public drinking water supply,” said Bruce Long, global drinking water practice & technology leader for Black & Veatch.
Black & Veatch also will evaluate the water treatment process and formulate a plan to ensure efficiency, sustainability and minimise plant operating costs.
Preliminary design is expected to be complete by April 2009, and final design in April 2010. The project should be operationally complete in 2013.

1 October
Studying the impact of mining on groundwater

The newsletter of the National Water Commission Distillled (http://www.nwc.gov.au/resources/documents/Distilled_September_2008.pdf) has announced that the National Water Commission has signed a contract with Sinclair Knight Merz to undertake a two year study into potential local and cumulative impacts of mining on groundwater resources and to develop the tools to aid the prediction and minimisation of cumulative impacts.
In March this year it was announced that the Commission would invest $2 million in a project to assess the impact of mining on groundwater resources. The funding will be provided from the $50 million Groundwater Assessment Initiative.
The project will enable better understanding of the impact mining operations can have on groundwater systems that are also used by farmers and towns. By developing the tools needed to predict and manage the impacts of mining operations on groundwater, this project will guide future planning to minimise impacts of competing water uses.
The tools and guidelines being produced are expected to be generally available, including to water management planners and consultants undertaking environmental impact assessments of new mining sites. Sustainable Minerals Institute, University of Queensland, will host the tools, which will also be accessible through the National Water Commission and other stakeholder websites.