December 2014 Queensland Branch Newsletter

President’s Report by Matt Dawson

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Where has 2014 gone? I don’t know about the rest of you but I am certainly ready for the festive season this year. Being the essential service industry we are though, many of our members will be seeing this as a ramp up to a busy period, depending on what Mother Nature decides to throw at us. Much of the State is still in the grips of drought and with recent temperature increases, water supply can be challenging. In other places we have seen very prominent reminders of the impacts that a lot of water dumped on us in a short period can have on water and sewerage infrastructure. We certainly live in a state that knows how to put on diverse weather! It’s been a busy quarter in the water sector: • The Gala Dinner and Awards night was held in September

with an excellent turn out and a fantastic group of award recipients. I will certainly be proud of our representatives as they are entered into the national awards program and hope to see some of them on stage receiving national honours at OzWater next year.

• AWA Queensland Branch put on another successful North QLD Conference in Mackay and QWater conference on the Gold Coast.

• Qldwater (the Queensland Water Directorate) held an excellent Innovation Forum.

• At the same event, Minister McArdle launched the Water Expert Panel’s “100 Day Plan” and the Panel Chair Mark Pascoe outlined some of the initiatives detailed and plans for the future of WaterQ implementation https://www.dews.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/229059/100-day-plan.pdf

• AWA ran a series of workshops on the eastern seaboard on the “Water Energy Food Nexus” which explored this important theme as Australia looks to its broader water future.

• In Sydney, AWA held a National Water Policy Summit which produced some excellent consensus on water policy issues at a national level which is obviously a rapidly changing space at present.

• Colin Hester treated Queensland Branch members to a fascinating history of Brisbane and specifically Mt Crosby water supply at our end of year function. What a fascinating history and amazing to see some trends repeating themselves over time!

For our Queensland Branch Committee, it has been with regret that we have farewelled (for now?) David Nixon who has taken up a management role at

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MidCoast Water in New South Wales. David’s energy and enthusiasm will be sorely missed. Luckily, Justin Watts has kindly agreed to join the committee and Sandra Hall has been elected to take on David’s role as Branch Vice President. Welcome Justin to the team and well done Sandra on stepping up the commitment to the Branch.

It is inevitable at this time of year that thoughts turn to planning for the future. The Queensland Branch is no different and we are rapidly finalising our program for next year. We are making an effort to collaborate on activities as a united sector with other important bodies to ensure a coordinated program throughout the year. Any ideas or feedback is welcomed. Some of the highlights already looming for the calendar: • An excellent kick off to the year with one of our industry

leaders, Peter Dennis, CEO of Seqwater addressing the branch in February.

• AWA hosting the “Water Innovation Forum 2015” in March in Sydney http://www.awa.asn.au/EventDetail.aspx?id=4294979855

I also encourage all members to plan ahead for their submissions to the hotly contested Branch Awards program. The submission process will commence in the second quarter, with the awards happening at the Gala Dinner in September. Winners from the Queensland Branch can also continue our fine tradition of featuring prominently in the national awards at the OzWater Gala Dinner.

Early in 2015 we will also be opening the call for papers for the North Queensland conference, which will be in Cairns in July. Spaces on the program are always sought after but I encourage you to think about presentations, which will be relevant to our members in North Queensland and start shaping those abstracts. Of course, mid-year we will also be undertaking a similar call for papers for QWater, so that is another important opportunity to keep in mind. Whilst some very significant projects have been featured on centre stage at our two flagship Queensland Conferences in the past, we should not lose the opportunity to also celebrate what we do very well on a day-to-day basis. Please don’t be afraid to share what you do very well on a day-to-day basis with your industry colleagues.

I always welcome feedback as to how AWA can deliver even more value for our members’ statewide. In such a dynamic time in our industry it is more important than ever that your Association is delivering on your expectations. Please feel free to drop me an email on qldpresident@awa.asn.au with your ideas or comments.

I hope the teams that work through the festive season have a relatively calm time and those of us who enjoy a break get that much needed time with family and friends to recharge the batteries. Our industry is a 24/7/365 vital service to our customers, so I hope you all enter 2015 with renewed passion and energy.

Women of Water Networking Event Women of Water – Networking event

This year the QLD Branch of the Australian Water Association was very proud to present the first of the new WoW (Women of Water) events. This group aims to inspire change in the workplace culture to embrace diversity. Through advocacy, mentoring and events we aim to support, develop, recognise and promote the achievements of women.

Women have played a strong role in the progress of the water industry in QLD. The first event held at Hotel Urban on the 15 August brought together more than 40 like-minded women in a casual, friendly and fun environment to network and gauge the interest in the group.

It was an inspiring evening and the group recognized the need for greater diversity and more events that can challenge the traditional views of the industry. If you would like more information on the group or to find out how you can get involved contact, Dr Sandra Hall, s.hall@awmc.uq.edu.au

Gala Dinner Oh What a Night…..The Queensland AWA Gala Dinner and Awards night has always been quite the event on the water calendar and 2014 did not disappoint. On the 12th of September, at the Sofitel in Brisbane, the leaders of the industry wined, dined and danced the night away. We were honoured on this evening to be joined by the Honourable Mark McArdle, Minister for Energy and Water Supply, and we were there to celebrate the individuals and organisations whose achievements were to be recognised by the AWA.

And the winners are (see photo below)…..

Research Innovation Award Putting Science in Sewer - Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland Program Innovation Award Unitywater's World Toilet Day Art Prize 2013; Infrastructure Innovation Award Maleny Sewage Treatment Plant and Wetlands - Unitywater Undergraduate Award Elissa O’Malley; Fate and toxicity of engineered nanomaterials in treated wastewater Young Water Professional of the Year Award Ashley Zanetti - SMEC Australia Pty Ltd Water Professional of the Year Award Terry Fagg - Western Downs Regional Council Regional Service Award Jason Devitt - Mackay Regional Council Distinguished Service Award Don Mackay

All impressive and deserving award winners but the night would not have been possible if not for the continuing commitment of the branch manager, Sharon Ible and the generous support of the sponsors; Platinum – Aurecon, Awards – Acciona Agua and Gold sponsors – KSB and Degrémont, so a big thank-you to all. A night full of laughter and cheers, of friends and colleagues, we can’t wait for the next one.

Report by Dr Sandra Hall

Peter Dennis CEO SEQWATER

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Peter Dennis is the CEO of Seqwater. He completed his engineering training in Newcastle, working part time with the Hunter District Water Board (Hunter Water) while studying at the University of Newcastle. He graduated in 1989 and then continued working with Hunter Water for another 20 years, progressing from cadet engineer to General Manager Strategic Planning, when he left in 2008. During his time with Hunter Water, Peter gained a Masters Degree in Environmental Studies at the University of Newcastle and a Graduate Diploma in Business Management from Deakin University.

During his time at Hunter Water, Peter served as Chief Operating Officer for Hunter Water Australia (HWA) for approximately 10 years from when the business was set up in 1998. Over this period, HWA grew from about 40 employees to 170 and established itself as one of the leading suppliers of process engineering services to the water and wastewater industry. In his last four years with Hunter Water, Peter moved back to the Hunter Water Corporation, as it is now called, as General Manager System, Strategy and Sustainability. In this role he focused on long term water planning, capital work prioritisation, energy efficiency, catchment planning and major capital investments. Peter notes that Hunter Water provided a great opportunity to develop his skills as the organisation was small enough to pilot and test new ideas, such as the introduction of user pays in the water sector. Maybe for these reasons, Hunter Water has produced a number of notable water leaders and innovators over the years, including Paul Broad, David Evans, Kevin Young, Rod Naylor and Dr John Patterson.

Peter left Hunter Water to join AECOM as Technical Director of their National Water Business in Australia and New Zealand. After 12 months with AECOM he was lured to Seqwater in May 2013, taking on the role of General Manager Operations - Catchments and Raw Water. When the position of CEO became available in November 2013,

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Peter initially acted in the role and was formally appointed as CEO six months later. Peter notes that the role is full of challenges, stating that affordability of water to the community is one of the key areas the business is working hard to address. He says Seqwater has retained control of master planning, an area of responsibility that has been re-allocated to other Government Departments in NSW and Victoria.

Peter says Seqwater is an exciting organisation to work in, with a great heritage of providing water services to the South East Queensland community, and a committed and passionate team of people. He believes there is a need to strive hard over the next few years to position the organisation as a market competitive service provider to the people of the region. His vision includes recognising the importance of catchments to a liveable and growing region.

One of the highlights of his career, apart from his current job, was working in China, where he led an AUSAID team reviewing the nutrient removal capability of wastewater treatment plants in the Lake Tai area west of Shanghai– none of which were operating very well. Lake Tai is a freshwater lake, with 49 million people living in its catchment. He feels that the team added considerable value to the project by developing strategies for improvement in plant performance to enhance nutrient removal and to lower energy costs. Peter says that the value of Australian engineers on projects like this, immeasurably and significantly outweighs the incremental value-add that can occur on projects for more developed countries such as Australia.

Peter, and his wife Jane, have three children. They currently live in Newcastle but will be moving to Brisbane at the end of the year. In his spare time, Peter enjoys bush walking, camping, orienteering and rogaining. Peter and his two sons are looking forward to walking New Zealand’s Routeburn Track in January.

Jenny Danslow Senior Process Engineer WorleyParsons

Jenny Danslow has been an active AWA member, serving on the Qld Branch Committee for almost ten years. She is currently on the Networking Committee, which looks after the program, Women of Water (WoW), and the Gala Dinner.

Jenny graduated in chemical engineering from the University of Queensland “some years back”. Incredibly she had been in the same class as Selwyn McFaul at the local high school both choosing to study engineering – Jenny at UQ and Selwyn at the then QIT. She recalls that of the 1st year cohort of 210, 7 were women.

On graduation she took up a position with Ampol as a Process Engineer at the Lytton refinery. She noted that in those days working in the water sector was not considered an attractive proposition for chem eng grads (given that most of the engineering roles were occupied by civil engineers!), so her preference was to take up a position in the more mainstream hydrocarbon process industry.

After two and a half years at the refinery, she was asked to join their Human Resources Department. She worked there for about seven years looking after all the “people” issues including recruitment. She then took some time off to start her family returning to the workforce a couple of years later to take up a part time position with QUT. The role at QUT supported women in non-traditional degree courses and included coordination of a bridging program to facilitate a pathway for women without the required pre-requisite subjects (many had left school after year 10) into non-traditional courses such as engineering, IT and the physical sciences. She remained at QUT for five years during which time she had her third daughter and also undertook tutoring and lecturing contracts within the Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering.

As result of the exposure to technical content, a return to engineering beckoned and she took up a role with Simmonds and Bristow (S & B) in 1999, initially in business development and subsequently in a technical role including performance testing, operator training, analytical interpretive reporting and environmental audits.

Jenny joined John Wilson and Partners (JWP) in 2003 working with Selwyn McFaul in the “Water Business”. When WorleyParsons acquired JWP in 2007, she was appointed as a Senior Process Engineer coordinating the Water Process team. Over the last four years she has been working on the QCLNG Upstream project for QGC in the “Gathering” team,

which delivers gas from the field to the initial compression stations and water to regional storage ponds. She says it has been an interesting process bringing a predominately hydrocarbon focused team along on the journey of what is an equally complex water project.

Jenny considers that her most rewarding project to date was the Brisbane Water Enviro Alliance where she worked on commissioning, preparation of operations manuals and on the detailed design of the Wynnum WWTP upgrade. She says that the alliance team was totally integrated and that it was impossible to tell which organisation anyone came from. She notes that the team spirit was exceptionally high due in no small way to the strong leadership. What made this project stand out, however, was that every person was made to feel that they were important and had a key role to play.

In her spare time, apart from attending to family matters, Jenny sits on two NFP Boards, St Peters Lutheran College and Lutheran Community Care. She is also heavily involved in Scouting and has been on the production committee for the annual Brisbane Gang Show for a number of years. The show has a cast of some 100 Scouts and Girl Guides and culminates with a season of 10 shows at the Schonell Theatre in July each year. She would be happy to sell you a ticket!

Ralph Lloyd-Smith was the first presenter introducing Calix; a new Australian supplier of Magnesium Hydroxide (MHL) slurry. MHL is used for odour & corrosion control, neutralisation of acid waste, and supplementary dosing of alkalinity for nitrification or anaerobic treatment. Calix Acti-MagTM

WTN60 Slurry is more reactive than others due to the high surface area formed by the unique Calix Flash Calcination process. Whilst it behaves as a weak alkali & is safe to handle, as it reacts ACTI-Mag dissolves to release more hydroxide on a w/w basis than Caustic. By Christmas Calix will have a new Slurry plant at Molendinar. Contact: rlloydsmith@calix.com.au

QWater Product Innovation Workshop Gold Coast, November 2014 One of the sessions at QWater’14 on the Gold Coast was an Innovation and Product Showcase. Each participant was allowed to use one overhead slide and talk for three minutes maximum. A brief summary of each presentation is provided following:

Steve Price then introduced us to Evoqua a company that has taken over a number of Siemens products including water treatment plant equipment, Memcor products. Steve also spoke about COMAG and BIOMAG, which utilise magnetite for flocculation and enhanced settlement of solids. He stated that they could achieve 95% recovery of magnetite and that the products could achieve a 30 to 50% reduction in footprint. Contact: steve.price@evoqua.com

David Yule then spoke about a new product that had been developed by Aquatec Maxcon for diffused air systems. It is called Aquablade Blue but strangely it looked grey when he showed it to us. David later advised that the blue colouring became less prominent as the physical properties were developed for cyclic usage. Aquablade Blue is made of platinum cured silicone and David said that it had improved robustness for intermittent aeration. It has the same oxygen transfer efficiency as the original Aquablades. Aquablade Blue is currently being tested at the Banora Point WWTP. Contact: davidy@aquatecmaxcon.com.au

Colin Murphy from Hychem talked about their new polymer coating system for water assets that can be degraded by hydrogen sulphide. This product is high-build spray-applied and flexible, thus eliminating cracks. Being a flexible material it provides greater longevity and long-term protection as compared to more rigid surface coatings. Contact: colin@hychem.com.au

Ben Civelle from KSB talked about a new use for the centrifugal pump. Running the pump backwards has been found to be a highly efficient way of generating power from spare “head”. The centrifugal pump is more cost effective than more high tech turbines with a payback period of only three years in most cases. Contact: Ben.Civelle@ksb.com.au

William Bona from Rainstopper Australia talked about “simple solutions with incredible results” their manhole cover inserts that prevent inflow into sanitary sewer manholes. These Inserts are very simple to install and they will reduce 98% of the inflow through manhole covers and reduce sanitary sewer overflows (SSO) by 30%. They are guaranteed for 25 years. Contact: info@raistopper.com.au

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John Graham from Degrémont talked about two different products. The first was the DehydrisTM Twist, which is a sludge dewatering device that loads wet sludge into a cylinder which is then compressed by a piston in a batch process mode. Full scale pilot tests have been conducted at 8 Australian treatment plants over the past 15 months and in all cases the DehydrisTM Twist has delivered product with over 30% dry solids for wastewater sludge and over 40% dry solids for drinking water sludge. The pilot unit is currently available for further trials on request. Contact: john.graham@degremont.com

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General Process Overview

The content of this document is the property of Degremont. It may not be used, reproduced or communicated without written authorisation.

John Graham then spoke about a system developed by Suez Environnement to provide real-time monitoring of the odour generation from wastewater treatment plants. The on-line platform uses a micro-sensor network for measuring odour-causing compounds such as the reduced sulphurs (detection limit <10 ppb) coupled with an atmospheric dispersion model. Contact: john.graham@degremont.com

Rod Wellings from Royce Water Technologies talked about energy recovery using a range of technologies including ultrasonic sludge sonication. Rod commended the highly successful “Energy Olympics”, a German initiative to promote energy efficiency with water utilities. He mentioned that there are now plants in Germany running power positive or close to it due to efficient ultrasonic pre-treatment technologies. Bamberg WWTP, PE 330,000, now produces more electrical energy from anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge than is consumed by the wastewater plant. Contact: rod.wellings@roycewater.com.au

Cameron Staib from MWH talked about Microvi, which is a biocatalyst that can support any biological process, including biological nutrient reduction. This product houses purposely selected organisms in small spheres that are then used in bioreactors to promote biological activity. It is stated that the use of these biocatalysts provides a much higher rate treatment environment with minimal solids production and reduced energy consumption. This can reduce the bioreactor size to one fifth of conventional bioreactors. A pilot plant is on trial at the moment, Contact: cameron.staib@mwhglobal.com

The final presentation was from Chris Harpham from GE. Chris spoke about a modified low-energy BNR process flow sheet that that has been developed by GE. This uses a hybrid membrane-aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) process that uses hollow fibre membranes arranged in modules and cassettes in conjunction with anaerobic digestion and combined heat and power energy recovery. Low energy use can be achieved using these membranes by feeding air down the lumen of the hollow fibre and avoiding the formation of bubbles on the biofilm growing on the outer surface of the membrane. Using this combined process flow sheet, electricity consumption can be reduced by up to 40% and energy production increased by up to 18% higher as compared to the Conventional Activated Sludge Systems. Contact: Christopher.Harpham@ge.com

A: Nutrient trading is one flexible option that the department is investigating. It will not be suitable at all sites and many STP upgrades have occurred to meet the needs of an increasing population. Nutrient trading will not provide a solution to the need for this increased capacity.

‘Reef Trust’ is another example of this approach. The Australian Government has committed $40 million to the Reef Trust. Investment in Reef Trust priorities and specific commitments will commence from July 2014. It is being jointly coordinated between the Australian and Queensland Governments, with advice from the Australian Institute of Marine Science and other experts. A Tender process has been established. It targets the greatest water quality risk to the Great Barrier Reef, namely, nitrogen discharge from the Wet Tropics. ‘Wet Tropics’ is a $5 million program that will provide financial incentives to sugar cane farmers in the region to improve nitrogen use efficiency and farm sustainability. Participation in the program is voluntary and sugar cane farmers can determine their own nitrogen use efficiency targets and cost-effective means of achieving those targets.

The Department recently invited Tenders for the provision of Service Provider services for the Reef Trust Tender - Wet Tropics Program. Terrain Natural Resource Management (NRM) successfully bid to act as Service Provider for the Program.

QWater14

Tony Roberts has responded to some questions raised following his presentation at QWater14

Q: With regard to market-based mechanisms for Nutrient Trading how exactly is EHP ensuring that the nutrient loads are properly monitored?

A: The proponent is responsible for monitoring and reporting water quality effects at the point source location and other relevant locations specified in the proponent's environmental authority in order to demonstrate the efficacy of the nutrient reduction actions.

In the case of the pilot project at Beaudesert, the proponent had to submit a monitoring plan as part of their amendment application. The plan was reviewed by scientists at DSITIA prior to approval. Given the difficulty of demonstrating actual changes in water quality parameters due to confounding factors, the success of the project will be demonstrated through the use of LiDAR. The LiDAR monitoring was undertaken at the completion of works and will be repeated at the end of year 1 and year 5. A board has been set up to review the monitoring data annually. In addition, the annual return will need to include monitoring information.

The environmental equivalency of undertaking nutrient reduction actions needs to be demonstrated in practice and outcomes will be monitored as projects progress. In order to assess the proposed load reduction the proponent will be required to demonstrate the efficacy of the nutrient reduction action. This may include using appropriate catchment and receiving water quality models. A nutrient reduction action ratio or buffer of 1.5:1 will then be applied for diffuse nutrient reduction actions to account for uncertainties. The ratio of 1.5:1 generates a water quality improvement. For example, if a sewage treatment plant was exceeding its nutrient discharge limit it could pay another sewage treatment plant with lower treatment costs to reduce their discharge by 1.5 times. This would result in a net reduction in the nutrient discharge to the waterway.

Comment from the floor: QUU is pleased with EHP’s approach to this nutrient trading trial exercise. Be assured the metrics about how much nitrogen is prevented from entering run-off due to the riparian earthworks etc. are very conservative. Additionally, QUU is finding that its effluent irrigation customers appreciate receiving recycled effluent containing nutrients.

Q: Does EHP consider nutrient trading the ‘way of the future’ in relation to nutrient removal at STPs? Several STPs have been built in the recent past with an expensive BNR requirement – and this could possibly have been avoided.

A summary of the reforms to underground water management for the resources sector (The Water Reform and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2014 – passed 26 November 2014).

Associated water is underground water taken incidentally as a result of extracting a resource. In coal mining it refers to dewatering of groundwater to the extent necessary to achieve safe operating conditions, as well as unavoidable evaporation from an open mine pit. In coal seam gas (CSG) production, wells drilled into coal seams bring water (CSG associated water) to the surface to reduce pressure to allow gas to be released.

Non-associated water is water that is not taken incidentally as a result of extracting the resource but is taken to be used for a range of purposes including hydraulic fracturing, constructing and testing infrastructure or developing production wells and providing water for workers’ camps.

Under the proposed new groundwater framework, the take of non-associated water by the petroleum and gas sector will transition from a statutory right to an activity requiring a water authorisation. A transitional period of two years will apply for existing petroleum tenure holders to comply with the new arrangements. This will be extended to five years in the Surat cumulative management area. If the take of non-associated water is relatively minor, it will not require a water licence or permit.

The proposed groundwater framework will also provide holders of a mining lease or a mineral development licence with a statutory right to take associated water. To date, this right has been provided to petroleum and gas production but not mining.

Mining companies that take associated water will be subject to the same obligations that presently apply to the petroleum and gas sector (Chapter 3 of the Water Act). In brief, this means that companies need to enter into ‘make good’ agreements with landholders whose bores are affected by the take of associated water. This consistent approach across the resource sector will provide certainty and clarity to landholders.

The framework will also allow for a cumulative management area to be declared where two or more resource tenures may be contributing to overlapping impacts on underground water supplies. A cumulative management area may apply to mining, petroleum or both types of tenures.

Upcoming Events

Wed, 11 Feb 2015 Seqwater Going Forward, Brisbane Qld

Wed, 11 March 2015 CSIRO – What Technology will the Water Industry be buying tomorrow?, Brisbane Qld

18-19 March 2015 2015 Water Innovation Forum, Sydney NSW

12-14 May 2015 Ozwater’15, Adelaide South Australia

Australian Water Association PO Box 1148, Wynnum QLD 4178 Contact Sharon Ible Telephone 07 3396 4880 Mobile 0407 585 052 Email sible@awa.asn.au

We are looking for articles on your projects. Please contact Sharon Ible

• Acciona Agua • Advanced Water Management Centre • AECOM • Arup • Aurecon • CH2MHILL • City of Gold Coast • Degremont • Evoqua Water Technologies • Interflow • International Water Centre • KBR • KSB • Logan City Council • Mackay Regional Council • MWH • Norton Rose • Queensland Urban Utilities • Redland City Council • Seqwater • Tenix • Trility • Unitywater • Zinfra

This newsletter has been compiled from information supplied; hence AWA cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy of any information so supplied or for any loss or damage, which may arise, from errors or omissions.

Thank you to all of the organisations who have sponsored and supported the AWA QLD Branch over the past year: