Water. desalination + reuse

projects sustainable facility possible considering the available and evolving technology. The high-level criteria used for these evaluations and their respective weightings were as follows: l Greenhouse Gas Burden ��� 30% l Solids Production, Wastes ��� 30% l Solids Reuse ��� 30% l Land and Heritage Impacts/Risks ��� 10% Green engineering principles and design were incorporated throughout the project, including cogeneration of energy from the biogas generated by anaerobic treatment (330 kW) and also a microhydro station (340 kW) that captures energy from a large clean water stream that feeds into the clean water reservoir. The electricity powers operations and minimizes environmental impacts. MiniMizing ecological Footprint Steps have been taken at the plant and in the transfer system to reduce the impact on natural flora and fauna. Directional drilling was used for main installation in many areas where high-quality flora was located along the transfer system route. About 30% of the GWF site has been dedicated to natural grassland/wetland, and the site stormwater system has been designed to restrict offsite flows to less than development levels. Every effort has been made to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas generation to meet one of the project���s key performance criteria. MiniMizing iMpact on surroundings One of the key project drivers is the elimination of odor problems in the 40 km open-channel section of the ROS. In addressing this odor problem, it was critically important that a new one was not created. Therefore, an extremely high level of odor mitigation (collection and treatment) has been incorporated into all of the new facilities���both the treatment plant and the lift stations that provide raw sewage feed. To the maximum extent possible, this odor treatment has been based on biological process to ensure the commitment to green engineering is met and the possibility for sewage odors to be replaced with chemical odors is eliminated. Although the GWF is located in a relatively remote location (surrounded on three sides by native bush or a paper plantation), a commitment has been made to maintaining off-site noise at current background levels. A community facility The Vortex Centre, built adjacent to GWF, will give visitors a first-hand experience of the technology treating their water in a very understandable and meaningful way. The state-of-theart ���green��� facility features interactive displays, touch screens and videos, with a focus on water conservation and sustainable water management, highlighting water as a precious resource at a local, state, national and global level. The Vortex plays a key role in delivering Gippsland Water���s vision to create an environmental and social legacy through its new education program, ���Water Wonders���; both for students, the local community and water stakeholders. The inspiring building, hands-on activities, engaging programs, and distinctive location combine to promote behavioural change and increased awareness of the need to use water responsibly. Described as ���the building that teaches���, the centre features sustainable design elements to minimise energy consumption and ensure the Vortex itself practices what it preaches. (Vortex Centre) has also been incorporated into the factory; not only have impacts on the surroundings been minimized, but it makes the GWF a welcoming location for visitors. MaxiMizing resource recovery/reuse The project is fundamentally delivering new wastewater infrastructure to address the obsolescence of a 50-year-old sewerage asset ��� the Regional Outfall Sewer. However, it is a unique solution in that it is based on recovering usable water from the wastes generated by 70,000 people and local industry - both as a part of the initial project and as foundation infrastructure for future water management initiatives. The project also incorporates cogeneration to use biogas from the GWF���s anaerobic process, even though the cogeneration component is relatively small in size. Finally, the biosolids produced by the facility will be incorporated into GW���s Soil Organics and Recycling Facility - a broadbased initiative to use a range of solid-waste streams to produce a reusable product through composting. ensuring econoMic viability The project is being managed as an Alliance, a method of design-build-operate project delivery that ensures triple bottom- | 20 | Desalination & Water Reuse | February-March 2012 line accountability through a series of key performance indicators that reflect economic, social and environmental goals and objectives. Alliance members include GW and three specialized companies consisting of Transfield Services, CH2M Hill and Parson Brinkerhoff. In October 2011, Gippsland Water won three 2011 Banksia Environmental Awards, including the prestigious overall Origin Gold Banksia Award for its GWF project. The GWF also won in the Water category, and its Vortex Centre and associated ���Water Wonders��� education program won in the Education category. The Banksias are Australia���s pre-eminent environmental excellence awards, celebrating the achievements of those who have made a significant contribution to the sustainable future of the county through leadership and innovation. The Stage 1 facility and associated wastewater conveyance facilities have been constructed and commissioned. These results demonstrate the technical feasibility of reclaiming domestic and industrial wastewater to provide a reliable, sustainable, and economic water supply to augment surface water for industrial uses. They also demonstrate the existing and evolving technologies available to develop effective and sustainable water reclamation solutions. l

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