Water. Desalination + reuse
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/670678
REGIONS May-June 2016 | Desalination & Water Reuse | 31 | ASIA PACIFIC Australian state approves temporary desalination plant Australia's Queensland state government has approved a US$ 7 million temporary desalination plant to supply a community near Townsville on Palm Island with water for nine months. The plant is scheduled to be built by June. The island has, according to local press, suffered a "dire" shortage of water and supplies could run out by the end of May. Palm Island mayor, Alf Lacey, supported the desalination plant proposal as a long-term measure: "We've got to think about the next 30 to 40 years in terms of water conservation here on the island," he said. He has been reported as saying a desalination plant could become a permanent part of the north Queensland town's water infrastructure. "We certainly can't build three or four dams, so we seriously have to [be] open in our thinking about long-term water," he added. St Kitts and Nevis ponders desalination Caribbean dual-island state, St Kitts and Nevis' minister of public infrastructure, Ian Liburd has revealed that the government is considering seawater desalination as one of two options for tackling water shortages on the islands that have led recently to rationing. Liburd has been reported by local broadcaster, ZIZ News as viewing desalination as a viable option. The other option is well drilling at a site where the estimated capacity would be some 3.6 Ml/d and which the government has agreed to in principle. There is a seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant on the island at La Valle that has been idle for years. It is understood to be mired in legal issues. Liburd said: "We are aware that there is a desalination plant; a reverse osmosis plant; in the La Valle, it's been there seven or eight years doing nothing. We know that there are issues with the National Bank and so on in terms of the property and how it's mortgaged, we should be able to, get that plant. "We have looked at the relocation, we have not established a cost but we have looked at the relocation of that plant moving to the Basseterre area to augment the source here in the well field as well and it is estimated that we can get approximately just over 1.5 million gallons (6 Ml/d). Once we sort out the legal issues with that plant down there at La Valle, we can bring that on stream as well." Liburd said the government had also included using mobile reverse osmosis plants in its discussions of a possible alternative source of water. Drought conditions in the Caribbean are expected to persist during the first half of this year. Seawater desalination protest tide grows Hermosa Beach has joined a "growing tide of opposition" to the West Basin Municipal Water District's proposed US$ 300 million ocean water desalination for El Segundo according to local newspaper The Daily Breeze. The city council has voted unanimously to send a preliminary letter of opposition to the agency, which supplies water to most of the South Bay, the newspaper reported. West Basin has been mulling the possibility of building the proposed full-scale plant at the site of a coastal NRG power plant as part of its drive over the next ten years to reduce its dependence on imported water. The plant would turn seawater into potable water at 90 Ml/d to 270 Ml/d. Once it has approval from West Basin and other regulators it could begin delivering water as early as 2023, the newspaper said. The city of Manhattan Beach has drafted a letter of opposition to the plant. According to the newspaper the letter urged West Basin to "explore all other alternatives, including additional conservation and expansion of recycled water prior to investing in the proposed project that has unknown and potential (substantial) impacts on the Santa Monica Bay. "The city strongly opposes the West Basin Desalination plant until efforts to expand and pursue all other local, available water supplies are exhausted." West Basin board president Carol W Kwan said in a statement: CH2M bags water sustainability prize Singapore's national water agency, PUB, has selected consultancy, CH2M, as a winner of its Watermark Award which "recognizes outstanding contributions and commitment to protect and raise awareness of Singapore's water resources." CH2M received the award for its advocacy of water sustainability through community outreach activities and partnership on numerous milestone projects. The projects, said PUB, led the way in water stewardship, and encouraged the community "to take ownership of Singapore's water resources and contribute towards its water sustainability." CH2M Global Water Business Group President Peter Nicol said: "Singapore is a water model for the world. Each of the projects we've completed with PUB has been characterized by strong partnerships, between a most innovative client and consultants and contractors who share PUB's vision, and with the community who understands water and sustainability by virtue of Singapore's investment in education." PUB director, George Madhavan, said "We are heartened by the initiatives and programmes that CH2M has developed over the years to educate their internal and external stakeholders about water. CH2M is a sterling example of an organization that goes above and beyond to spread the water saving message and inspire the community to protect our precious water resource in Singapore." "We remain committed to further exploring ocean water desalination through research, educating our communities, and the EIR process, which will help us fully understand and address any potential project concerns." She asserted that West Basin had "not yet made a decision to construct a desalination facility."