New Ozone Treatment Plant official opening
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Photo: The Council’s Senior Engineer Utilities Mike Brooks, left, and Bricon Pty Ltd project supervisor Brad Nixon examine the new ozonation plant. |
A new era in the production of potable drinking water for the community will be recognized this week with the official opening of Armidale Dumaresq Council's new $4.2 million ozonation plant this Friday, October 30 at 10am.
The plant, located alongside the existing water treatment plant at Arundel Drive, was handed over by the contractor in the middle of May.
Over the years the existing water treatment plant has struggled at times to combat the taste and odour problems that result from blue-green algal blooms in the Malpas Reservoir, the plant's main source of raw water.
The Council's Utilities Services Manager, Mr Colin Maciver, said the Council had been dealing with this problem for some time.
"After a few years it became obvious to us that the plant needed to move away from the traditional method of treating water for taste and odour, which was dosing the incoming supply with powdered activated carbon (PAC), to a safer and more-reliable method," Mr Maciver said. "After extensive on-site testing and engineering analysis, it was decided that treatment with ozone was the best available option. "
In simple terms, the ozonation plant produces ozone by passing air, extracted from the atmosphere, over high voltage electrodes. This creates ozone (O3) from the oxygen (O2) in the air. The ozone is then injected into the water supply to break down the organic compounds in the water that cause unpleasant taste and odour. Once broken down, these compounds can then be removed by the main Water Treatment Plant's new biological activated carbon filters. The process is carefully regulated so that the residual amount of ozone in the water as it leaves the plant is reduced to a safe and undetectable level.
"This new process has eliminated the use of PAC, leading to considerable cost savings for the Council," Mr Maciver said. "It has also reduced the amount of chemicals required to be used to ensure our water supply remains clean and wholesome."
Although the treatment of municipal water with ozone is relatively new technology for Australia, with Armidale becoming one of only a handful of water treatment plants in the country to introduce this method, ozonation has been used extensively in Europe for the past six decades.
Armidale firm, Bricon Pty Ltd, undertook both the design and construction of the plant, with director Andrew Boeren saying the company was "very pleased" to have been awarded the $4.2 million contract.
"It is a very worthwhile and beneficial project to the city and we have enjoyed working with the Council and their consultants in order to address the issue of recurring bad odours and tastes in the Armidale water supply," Mr Boeren said. "It is also testament to the ability of local contractors, subcontractors and suppliers to deliver on technically advanced and complex state-of-the-art projects to a high standard of quality, on time and within budget."
In addition to the cost of the new plant, the Council has spent $1 million on upgrading the existing plant, which included a new computerized control system and the biological activated carbon filters.
The Council's Director of Engineering and Works, David Steller, said that he was very pleased with the new facility.
"The ozonation plant has been operating very successfully over the past five months," Mr. Steller said. "It has convincingly dealt with any algal blooms that have occurred and the operators have been impressed with its ease of operation. I am certain that it is an asset that the people of Armidale can be proud of and that it will serve them well in the future."
For further information contact Colin Maciver, Council's Utilities Services Manager, on 6770 3849 or Mike Brooks, Senior Engineer Utilities, on 6770 3894 .
Contact details
Colin Maciver
Tel: 02 6770 3849
council@armidale.nsw.gov.au
