Water / Wastewater - how we solve Sydney's water problem | Biocity Studio

Each day Sydney Water disposes of more than 1,000 Olympic-size swimming pools of partially treated sewage through the ocean outfalls The city has consumed more water than its dams could provide for six out of the last ten years Fresh water only makes up 2.78% of the World’s water If there was to be no inflow into Sydney’s dams, the amount of water currently would only last another four years Since water restrictions have been put in place, water use has decreased by 14% 9% of all water pipes operated by Sydney Water are leaking 200mls of rainfall is needed to soak the catchments before runoff is collected Metropolitan Water Plan Robert W. Christopherson 2004, Elemental Geosystems www.iliveinsydney.com www.parliament.nsw.gov.au Tony Wong, pers.comm 11.07. 2007 Sydney Water Metropolitan Water Plan

Primary Treatment Plants Secondary Treatment Plants Tertiary Treatment Plants Legend Compliments of Sydney Water Within Primary treatment facilities, the wastewater is only filtered a certain degree using grit chambers, Secondary filters act as particle filters and further screen the waste, whilst Tertiary plants, break down and disinfect the wastewater. There are three phases to Wastewater treatment, Primary , Secondary and Tertiary . Generally there are two types of wastewater, Domestic and Industrial, and these two contribute to the amounts of wastewater entering treatment everyday. Wastewater Treatment Locations

What happens when demand exceeds supply? By the year 2030, what will happen when water consumption exceeds water supply with in the Sydney metropolitan region?

How would a shortfall of water affect the broader city, and the way things within the city function by the year 2030? If there were to be a shortage of water, due to the severe drought , the effect on almost all facets of Sydney living would certainly be dramatic. For instance, with regards to agriculture, if water is not available to sustain crops , they simply would die leading to a shortfall within the agricultural industry. Additionally, it is not just within agriculture that water has such a major influence on function and sustainability, other industries and products also rely on water , that is everything ranging from food products , which sustain us to live, along with energy and the way we use transport to import and export goods, along with traveling around in our daily lives .

How do we prevent such a shortfall from happening thus averting such a crisis from happening and finding a solution to a future problem in twenty years time?

However, quite significantly, if we cut our usage by 50%, Dam levels would rise to 100% Capacity Warragamba, currently supplies 80% of Sydney’s water, for it to become a secondary or emergency source of water, is a realistic and viable option If we were to use 20% more water, Dam levels would fall to 32.15% Hypothetical usage since 11.2001 Available water % full all dams 1 year change GL(%) 20% More 830.9 32.15 295.04 (11.42) As is 1469 56.84 396.00 (15.32) 20% Less 2107.1 81.54 496.96 (19.23) 50% Less 2584.3 100.00 168.45 (6.52)

Sydney Water Distribution Sydney consumes 1300 ML/Day

Sydney Household Water Consumption Water Smart Households – www.waterforlife.nsw.gov.au 228 mega litres / per day 209 mega litres / day 146 mega litres / day 154 mega litres / day 36 mega litres / day 127 mega litres / day 9 mega litres / day

Sydney Household Water Recycling Systems Blackwater Re-used Greywater On-Site Detention http://www.aquatekltd.co.uk/products/water%20recycling%20management/Ref%20AQ1.jpg

Chili Pepper Hot Water recycling pump Cost = $500 Tank to Toilet Rain Water System Cost = $2500 (- $300 Rebate) Low flow - AAA rated shower head Cost = $100 Bathtub - Laundry Greywater Pump Cost = $100 Wattworks Automatic Water Recycler System Cost = $2500 Flow restrictor Shower head Cost = $100 Total Cost $8720 How you can upgrade your Household Water tank (for the Garden) Cost = $2000 Flow restrictors for all taps Cost = $20 Plumbing labour costs Cost = $1000

In 2030 Sydney will produce 1148 litres a day (assuming our average daily consumption as well as water restrictions remain in place.) An 80% reduction means the 2.2 million homes will be using 229 mega litres a day. Retrofitting 2.2 million homes would cost 19.1 billion dollars assuming that: There were no government rebates No discounts for contracts by councils (figure could easily be halved ) This basically means that for every $1 spent 335L will be saved, long term this is a viable option

“ Desalination on the scale now planned by the state government would cost almost double that of a similar scale recycling scheme and consume more than three times as much energy, Sydney water papers reveal” Sydney Morning Herald, 25 th November 2005

A 100 ML/day Desalination plant does not solve our water problems by itself. It would need to run continuously, at great expense and we would still be under water restrictions for it to be remotely successful A 500 ML/day plant, would be successful, that is, whilst disregarding both the costs, financially and to the environment Hypothetical since 11.2001 Available water (GL) % full all dams 1year change GL(%) As is 1469 56.84 396.00 (15.32) 100 ML/day 1677.5 64.91 432.40 (16.73) 500 ML/day 2511.5 97.18 578.00 (22.37) 500 ML/day when levels < 50% 1796 69.50 527.00 (20.39)

Desalination Vs Large Scale Recycling A possible solution to the 2030 water shortage is retrofitting the Malabar WWTP to a Secondary Treatment Plant. Malabar would Pump its treated water via a new tunnel system into Prospect Water Filtration Plant . Desalination Recycled Wastewater Expansion 500 ML Desalination Plant = $2.2 billion 500 ML Upgrade to Malabar Wastewater Treatment Plant = $ 2.1 billion Desalination consumes 3 times more energy then recycling Retrofit existing WWTP $ 1,770 million Reverse Osmosis Desalination (including seawater intakes and outlets) $1,860 million Transfer to Prospect WFP $ 330 million Transfer to Water Supply $ 350 million Total Cost Over 20 Years = $ 5.1 billion Total Cost over 20 Years = $ 5.5 billion Running Costs $ 3,000 million Running and Environmental Costs $ 3,300 million (Indirect potable recycling and desalination report – Sydney Water) (Indirect potable recycling and desalination report – Sydney Water)

In terms of the success of proposed systems , it is suggested that a combination be established in order to fully utilize location and potential for growth. Therefore the following has been established…

http://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghome/dlg_Regions.asp?region=SO&regiontype=1 Combining the Systems By 2020, it is intended that 550, 000 existing dwellings be fully retrofitted saving a total of 20% of Sydney's total water use. This will cost $2 billion to implement The 500 ML / day Regional Recycling System which will add an additional 30% to Sydney's drinking water supply. This will cost approx 5.5 billion dollars over the next 23 years to 2030. The aim by 2030, is to reduce Sydney's water consumption by 50% which is achievable using these combinations of strategies. The reduction of 50% of Sydney's water use will see Warragamba Dam remain at capacity and thus securing Sydney's water supply for the future.

Water / Wastewater - how we solve Sydney's water problem | Biocity Studio

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