 Water recycling & reuse
- 2006
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| Water Recycling &
Reuse | 2006
Tea Tree Trial Bomaderry
Indicator description
What does the Data tell us for 2006
Other Reuse Projects
Northern Shoalhaven Reclaimed Water Management Scheme (REMS)
The Northern Shoalhaven Reclaimed Water
Management Scheme (REMS) has been developed to provide a long-term beneficial
approach to wastewater management in the Shoalhaven. Reclaimed Water (treated
wastewater) is tertiary treated including filtration and chlorine disinfection.
The aim of the Scheme is to reuse an average of 80% of reclaimed water produced
with surpluses released to the ocean at Penguin Head. Scheme water is currently
supplied to seventeen properties including dairy farms, golf courses and
sporting grounds. In excess of 500 hectares of farmland and sporting areas is
now irrigated via the REMS.
Reclaimed water is also now replaces
drinking water for wash down of yards at dairy farms saving over 100 megalitres
of town water per year.
REMS Stage 1A construction was completed
in 2003 and includes Callala, Vincentia, Culburra Beach and St Georges Basin
Wastewater Treatment Plants (WwTPs). From October 2001 reclaimed water from St
Georges Basin and Vincentia WwTPs has been transferred to the REMS distribution
facilities at Coonemia allowed releases to Jervis Bay to be stopped.
Operational Highlights
Volumes Reused
- In 2005/06 over 1,900ML of reclaimed water were recycled onto land or 80% of
the reclaimed water managed within the Scheme. For the same period 580
megalitres was released to the ocean from the Scheme which is similar to the
annual volumes discharged when Culburra Beach was a stand-alone scheme.
Reclaimed Water Quality
– Scheme water quality has been of a consistently high standard and fully
complies with environmental and irrigation water quality targets. A high level
of disinfection is also being achieved. This level of quality will allow
reclaimed water to be used in a wide variety of applications in the future. A
trial using reclaimed water for road construction is underway and may be
expanded to other areas if successful.
REMS farm balance pond, Pyree
Impact on Jervis Bay
– In excess of 7,300 megalitres of reclaimed water has not been released into
Jervis Bay as a result of REMS. This has resulted in 29 tonnes less of nitrogen,
15 tonnes less of phosphorus and 50 tonnes less suspended solids being released
into the Bay.
Ocean Release Monitoring
– Possible impacts of
reclaimed water releases to the ocean have been studied since 1995 including
releases from REMS. Very few environmental impacts have been detected and these
are considerable minimal. Further studies were undertaken in 1995 to see if
releases were causing increases in ulvoid algae at the Penguin Head
release site. There were no differences in algae coverage at Penguin Head when
compared to three control sites in the region.
Further major
investigations will occur when there are significant changes to REMS ocean
release patterns.
Groundwater
monitoring – The Scheme
has now collected five years worth of groundwater height and quality data from
11 bores in the main REMS irrigation area. The data collected does not indicate
any significant change to local water table heights or quality since irrigation
began in December 2001.
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REMS Stage 1B
The REMS will
be expanded to include management of reclaimed water produced from the Nowra and
Bomaderry WwTPs. Concept designs have been completed with the preferred option
to upgrade and expand the Nowra treatment plant to enable tertiary treatment of
reclaimed water from both Nowra and Bomaderry plants. A pipeline under the
Shoalhaven River is proposed to supply secondary treated water from the
Bomaderry to the Nowra treatment plant. Detailed designs and investigations for
REMS Stage 1B will occur in 2007/08. Construction is expected to be completed in
2009/10 subject to funding availability.
Other Reuse Projects
Shoalhaven City Council is committed to
developing further reuse schemes where they are practicable and cost-effective.
Other current reuse schemes involving Council treatment plants include:
Berry –
Nearly all of the dry weather flows from the Berry treatment plant are used for
irrigation on a local dairy farm.
Shoalhaven Heads
– Reclaimed water from the Shoalhaven Heads treatment plant is used for
irrigation on a local turf farm.
Bomaderry
- Reclaimed water from the Bomaderry treatment plant is used for irrigation on a
Council’s tea-tree plantation.
Nowra -
Reclaimed water from the Nowra treatment plant is used for irrigation on a local
dairy farm and a golf course.
Sussex Inlet
- Reclaimed water from the Sussex Inlet treatment plant is used for irrigation
on local playing fields.
Investigations are underway regarding
the feasibility of reuse projects for the Lake Conjola and Milton/Ulladulla
sewerage schemes.
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Settlement | Water Supply & Sewage Management
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Reuse | 2006
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