Sydney Water Board Research Articles

Ultrafiltration as a tertiary treatment: Joint research program on membranes

Maintaining an effluent of constant quality as well as avoiding health hazards are some of the main concerns in recycling water. A joint research program funded by the Sydney Water Board and the research centre of the French company Lyonnaise des Eaux shows that the ultrafiltration process using polymeric membranes provides a permeate free of suspended solids and BOD 5. This process also provides good disinfection, without any by-products or bacterial regrowth, by physically removing bacteria and viruses.

Ultrafiltration as a tertiary treatment: Joint research program on membranes

Maintaining an effluent of constant quality as well as avoiding health hazards are some of the main concerns in recycling water. A joint research program funded by the Sydney Water Board and the research centre of the French company Lyonnaise des Eaux shows that the ultrafiltration process using polymeric membranes provides a permeate free of suspended solids and BOD5. This process also provides good disinfection, without any by-products or bacterial regrowth, by physically removing bacteria and viruses.

The Impact of Urbanisation on Water Quality in the Lane Cove River, Sydney New South Wales: a Comparison of Urban and Non‐Urban Catchments

The Lane Cove River drains an established urbanised catchment and is impacted by urban runoff, point sources of pollution from sewer overflows and leachate from a refuse tip. The Sydney Water Board conducted a three year water quality monitoring programme assessing the impacts of pollution. The findings are presented and the impact of urbanisation evaluated by comparing water quality in urban and non‐urban catchments. Water quality in a near‐pristine control creek was consistently better than the urban catchment in all weather conditions. During wet weather, water quality in urban creeks deteriorated significantly, although the control creek generally remained in a near‐pristine condition. Poor water quality in urbanised reaches of the catchment has degraded the aquatic ecosystem, encouraged and sustained weed infestation of the riparian environment and restricted recreational use of the river.

Blue mountains sewage transfer scheme: a review of tunnelling

To preserve the natural surroundings of the Blue Mountains of New South Wales while simultaneously serving the needs of the region's growing population, the Sydney Water Board has developed an improved, but complex, sewage transfer scheme for the area. This paper traces the development of the scheme, with particular attention to the geology of the area, the equipment used to construct the tunnels for the project, and elements of the directional drilling that connects the sewer areas to the tunnel. Afin de préserver l'environnement dans les Blue Mountains en Nouvelles Galles du Sud, et répondre en même temps aux besoins d'une population en pleine expansion dans cette région, le Sydney Water Board a mis au point un schéma de transport des eaux usées amélioré, mais complexe. L'article retrace le développement de ce schéma, avec une attention toute particuliére pour les conditions géologiques, l'équipement utilié pour la construction des tunnels appartenant au projet et les éléments reliant les égoûts aux tunnels.

Water industry best practices

The Sydney Water Board studied best practices around the world to see how its operations could be improved.Studying the practices that make leading organizations efficient and at the same time able to provide high‐quality services can identify enormous potential for improvement. The Sydney Water Board (SWB) has embraced a program for change based on a study of “best practice” at a number of organizations worldwide. Key results of the study are presented here. The practices, systems, and technology that determine “best practice” were discovered with the cooperation of the organizations achieving a designated level of performance. In some cases, this involved organizations outside the water and wastewater industries. The changes that will be implemented at the SWB are far‐reaching, reducing costs in the areas studied by as much as 30 percent, while benefiting customer service and the environment.

Natural reforestation of abandoned farmland: the role of soils

SUMMARY Natural regeneration of abandoned farmland in several areas within the catchments of the Sydney Water Board has been very slow. Several hypotheses have been put forward to explain the fact that natural reforestation has not occurred, even after up to 50 years of abandonment. This study examines regeneration in relation to substrate, soil types and soil chemistry. The abandoned farmlands occur on four main soil types: (i) eutrophic krasnozem, now occupied mainly by bracken fern (Pteridium esculentum) associated with young seedlings of Eucalyptus and Acacia; (ii) mesotro‐phic yellow earth, now occupied by blady grass (Imperata cylindrica), with few tree seedlings and scattered, dead Acacia trees; and (iii) mesotrophic alluvial soil, and (iv) oligotrophic lithosol, which both support stands of Acacia. The soil properties of the krasnozem and the yellow earth appear to be suitable for tree establishment and growth, and do not differ from similar soils in nearby areas currently under cultivation or sup...

Immigration and Housing: The Missing Link?

Few observers doubt that we face a fiscal crisis in the provision of urban infrastructure. Since the mid 1980s the main source of funds hitherto available to utilities like the Sydney Water Board, namely public borrowing, has been drastically reduced. Simultaneously, statebudgctallocations for education, health, transport, etc., have declined in real terms, generating bitter complaints from those affected. Over the same period there has been a sharp decline in housing af fordability, particularly in Melbourne and Sydney – the main locations for overseas migrants.

Control of Heavy Metals and Organochlorines Using the Oil from Sludge Process

A four month pilot plant program, evaluating all unit operations comprising an integrated Oil from Sludge (OFS) plant has been successfully completed for the Sydney Water Board. The unit operations of sludge dewatering, drying and conversion to oil in the patented OFS reactor system were set up at the Malabar Sewage Treatment Plant in Sydney. Pilot testing of the char combustor was conducted off site. Extensive heavy metal and organochlorine monitoring across each unit operation has revealed the following information. There is no loss of contaminants across the dewatering and drying operations. With the exception of arsenic and mercury, all heavy metals fed to the OFS reactor are retained in the char. Greater than 75% of PCB's and 85% of HCB present in sludge are destroyed in the OFS reactor. Greater than 99.7% of the heavy metals fed to the fluid bed combustor are retained in the ash (with exception of mercury, which reported 3% in the flue gas). The FBC ash is classified non-hazardous, using the Toxic Characteristic Leaching Procedure.No organochlorines were detected in the dryer or FBC off-gases. The OFS technology offers decoupling of heavy metal and organochlorine control mechanisms, thus allowing each to be optimally controlled.

Offshore Installation of Ocean Outfalls Diffuser Assemblies

Summary The Sydney Water Board commissioned the design and construction of threesubsea ocean outfalls to handle the sewage disposal needs of the area for thenext 100 years. The outfalls consist of three underground tunnels, extending upto 3 miles [5 km] offshore, that connect with 93 riser shafts capped with dilluser heads and supported by caissons. This paper discusses the methods andequipment used to install those ocean outfalls. Introduction Sydney is a coastal city on the Pacific Ocean. North and south of the cityare more than 30 recreational beaches. Three treatment plants in the area treatthe waste water from 2.1 million people and nearby industries. The treatedwaste water is discharged into the ocean just beyond the shoreline and slightlybelow sea level. This method of discharge has caused an unacceptable level ofpollution on the beaches. pollution on the beaches. The Sydney Water Boardauthorized the construction of submarine ocean outfalls to overcome thisproblem (Fig. 1). The outfalls will discharge the effluent up to 3 miles [5 km]offshore at seabed level. The effluent plumes are expected to remain below seaplumes are expected to remain below sea level for most of the year. The saltwater and sunlight will naturally purify the waste water, further reducing thepossibility of pollution on the beaches. Other possible pollution on thebeaches. Other possible means of disposal were considered but rejected on thebases of cost and environmental impact. The Water Board installed one outfall at each treatment plant. Each outfallconsists of a tunnel connecting the existing treatment plant with risers anddiffuser heads installed plant with risers and diffuser heads installedoffshore (Table 1). The tunnels, excavated with full-faced boring machines andlined with precast concrete segments, have finished diameters of 7.5 to 11.5 ft[2.3 to 3.5 m]. Minimum rock cover for the tunnels is 148 ft [45 m]. The rockformations are sandstone and claystone with seabed covers varying from finesilt to rock outcrops. The riser assembly consists of the caisson, the riser, and the diffuser head(Fig-2). The steel caisson supports and protects the diffuser head. The conicalsection of the caisson is used to deflect ships' anchors. The installedposition of the caissons must be determined to within +/-2.3 ft [0.70 m] ofstatewide grid system and to within +/ - 1 f[0. 30 m] of a prescribed heightdatum. The risers connect the tunnel with the diffuser heads. The riser isfabricated of glassreinforced plastic to resist the chemicals used in thewaste-treatment process. An extemal line is installed from the diffuser head tothe ported riser shoe to cement the riser in place. The diffuser head connectsto the riser and directs the effluent away from the installation site. The headis made of glassreinforced plastic encased in concrete with all fittings madeof a high-nickel alloy. The assembly has a minimum design life of 100 years andis expected to meet population requirements past the year 2030. The diffusers are evenly spaced along the diffuser zone. The line ofdiffusers is located north of and parallel to the main outfall tunnel line. After installation of the diffusers and completion of the tunnels, eachdiffuser is connected to the tunnel with an ocean tap. The tap is a smallertunnel between the main tunnel and the riser shoe. After the riser shoe is cutaway, an L-shaped section is installed, from which pipe is run through the taptunnel and connected to the main outfall tunnel. Mass concrete infill surroundsthe L-shaped section and the pipe in the ocean tap. Riser Assembly Installation Concept Establishment of a Positioning System. A seabed/site survey initially isconducted within the area of the diffuser zone with a single line ofbathymetry, a sonar and subbottom profiler through the proposed diffuser sites, and the anchor locations. Three cross lines are run to verify the data. Before the drilling unit is moved to location, an eight-transponder networkis deployed on the seabed. A microwave positioning system is used to locate thedrop positioning system is used to locate the drop sites accurately. Eachtransponder is equipped with depth, salinity, and temperature sensors andinclinometers. This intelligent acoustic network positions the drilling vesseland the seabed template. Each transponder is calibrated relative to the othertransponders to determine the geometry of the network and to fix thecoordinates of the transponders nominally. The transponders are then calibratedabsolutely to determine the position of the transponders with respect to theIntegrated Survey Grid of New South Wales, which establishes a commonpositioning basis for the installation work that positioning basis for theinstallation work that follows. The absolute calibration is carried out withelectro-optical distance-measuring units located at survey stationsonshore.

Offshore installation of ocean outfalls diffuser assemblies: Arnold, M.S. and S.A. Tait, 1990. J. Petrol. Technol., 42(6):801–805

Design and construction, commissionned by the Sydney Water Board, of three subsea outfalls to handle the sewage disposal needs of the area for the next 100 years. The outfalls consist of three underground tunnels, extending up to 5 km (3 miles) offshore, that connect with 93 riser shafts capped with diffuser heads and supported by caissons

Recreational Use of the Catchments and Storages of Sydney Water Board (Australia)

The Water Board has a number of catchment areas under its control. These catchment areas are used to supply water of acceptable quality and quantity to over 3.4 million people. A range of catchment protection measures is applied to these catchment areas depending on distance from and length of time from the offtake points. Several recreation pursuits have been permitted within the terms of the protection measures. To gain a view of public perception and acceptance the Board in 1986 completed a public review and survey of the present and potential future use of its water supply catchment areas and storages for recreational purposes. The study considered whether community recreational demands were being met and whether some or all of these demands can be satisfied without harming water quality or the environment. From the study, the Board has concluded that there is both broad community support for its strong protection of the water supply and significant interest in use of additional recreational facilities. Accordingly, the Board has identified a number of additional requested recreational opportunities that can be introduced while maintaining present levels of water quality protection and conservation values. These additional items include additional nature walks near some of the existing dam picnic areas, escorted tours of the catchment areas, walking trails on catchment perimeters and increased river bank fishing in the Warragamba Catchment Area. Additional facilities are being introduced at Prospect Reservoir in the populated western suburbs of Sydney including a bicycle/jogging/walking track, BMX track, skateboard area and historic lookout and picnic area. These new initiatives will be introduced as part of an ongoing programme of review. Additional future activities will be introduced where possible. The Board however is concerned that no recreational activity should be introduced that is likely to cause future problems with water quality protection. Future introduction of increased water treatment levels will enable a further review of catchment protection policies but the high costs of such treatment will cause the Board to delay those introductions as long as practicable. In brief, the Board has fully reviewed its present policy on recreational use and has concluded that the general pol icy is appropriate and has strong community support. The implementation of that policy is being modified, however, to provide for acceptable additional facilities for which there is a demonstrated community need.

Study of Recreational Use of Sydney Water Board and Fish River Water Supply Storages (Australia)

Existing and potential recreational uses in a number of very different water supply catchments managed by two major N.S.W. authorities were investigated. Community attitudes to recreational use of both land based and water based activities were analysed together with reactions to increased charges to cover costs of ensuring safe water quality. Threats to water quality were studied and additional management and water quality control measures formulated.

Infrastructure Finance in New South Wales: The Case of the Sydney Water Board

The recent history of the Sydney Water Board provides a relevant case study of a public sector organization confronting the key financial issues associated with providing and funding large scale urban infrastructure. The Board's recently introduced management and financial reforms are responding to the need to be customer oriented and adopt a commercial, business-like approach to urban infrastructure investment and pricing.

The Evaluation of Software Packages

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Additional informationNotes on contributorsKen DoughtyKen Doughty is a computer auditor with the Sydney Water Board in Australia. He has been an internal auditor for nine years and a computer auditor for six years. He is a member of the EDP Auditors Association and the Australian Society of Accountants, and an associate of the Institute of Internal Auditors (Australia).

Monitoring and investigation of water inflow into a coal mine in New South Wales, Australia

Abstract The Dams Safety Committee is responsible for ensuring the safety and integrity of all substantial dams and storages in New South Wales. Coal mining is currently taking place beneath the Sydney Water Board catchment where a system of five reservoirs constitute part of the urban water supply for the cities of Sydney and Wollongong. Pillar extraction of the Wongawilli seam adjacent to Avon storage resulted in an unexpected inflow of water into the mine workings. Algal analysis indicated that a proportion of this inflow may have originated from a surface source. The paper outlines the events which occurred, the monitoring initiated and the results of the investigations.

FINANCE AND PLANNING: THE SYDNEY WATER BOARD AND THE 1959 GREEN BELT RELEASES

Australian Journal of Public AdministrationVolume 35, Issue 2 p. 147-159 FINANCE AND PLANNING: THE SYDNEY WATER BOARD AND THE 1959 GREEN BELT RELEASES Robert P. Gibbons, Robert P. GibbonsSearch for more papers by this author Robert P. Gibbons, Robert P. GibbonsSearch for more papers by this author First published: June 1976 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8500.1976.tb00337.xCitations: 2Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume35, Issue2June 1976Pages 147-159 RelatedInformation