Australia

Desal plant location chosen for Eyre Peninsula – South Australia

Billy Lights Point, near Port Lincoln, has been selected as the preferred location for a desalination plant in the Eyre Peninsula area of South Australia, which will provide drinking water for around 35,000 SA Water customers. 

The decision follows a comprehensive analysis of 20 sites around Port Lincoln and Lower Eyre Peninsula, as well as ongoing consultation with local stakeholders.

The plant will provide a new reliable, climate-independent source of drinking water to supplement existing groundwater sources and the River Murray, and is critical to maintaining a long-term supply of safe and clean drinking water in the area, as well as enabling economic growth.

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‘It can’t happen’: Out to sea protest warns SA Water its desal plans aren’t welcome – Australia

A protest at sea off Port Lincoln has been held to vehemently oppose the South Australian Government’s $90 million plans to build a desalination plant close to the city’s major aquaculture industries.

Eight vessels took part as tourism operators and recreational fishers joined commercial fishers to show their opposition to SA Water’s proposed site at Billy Lights Point.

The protesters have environmental concerns that hyper saline water discharged from the proposed site will pollute Port Lincoln’s protected and shallow bays, and have a negative impact on surrounding aquaculture farms.

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50 km pipeline for Kangaroo Island – Australia

Installation has begun on the 50 km underground pipeline to connect Kangaroo Island communities with a new seawater desalination plant at Penneshaw. 

SA Water said the first stage of pipeline construction between Penneshaw and Pelican Lagoon has already commenced, and will continue for the next several months, with regular deliveries of the 375 mm diameter pipes underway via ferry from the mainland.

Stage 2 is expected to commence in early 2022 and will include the design and development of the section extending from Middle River water main. 

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Planning approval granted for desalination plant, pipeline – Australia

This week, the New South Wales Government approved Hunter Water‘ s plans for a desalination plant at Belmont as a drought response measure.    

The plans are a reaction to water storage levels in the Lower Hunter, which recently reached its lowest point in nearly 40 years. 

The plant is designed to produce up to 30 million L of drinking water per day in response to drought.

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Road closure remains part of ongoing EMWD project – Australia

Officials of Eastern Municipal Water District continue to ask for patience and understanding from residents impacted by the construction limiting lanes of traffic on Murrieta Road at Salt Creek.

The Murrieta Road Pipeline Project involves construction of a 36-inch pipeline from the EMWD Desalination Complex just north of Salt Creek that will run south under the creek bed and along Murrieta Road to connect with existing infrastructure at La Piedra Road.

According to EMWD, the project will increase the amount of water that can be distributed from the desalters, which treat local, salty groundwater.

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New site options for Eyre Peninsula desalination plant – Australia

The location for SA Water’s planned Eyre Peninsula seawater desalination plant is under review, with the utility set to explore more cost-effective alternatives compared to the current preferred site near Sleaford Bay. 

While the site at Sleaford Bay continues to meet important environmental, social and cultural priorities, constructability challenges have emerged through the detailed design and engineering assessments for the plant and supporting infrastructure. 

SA Water’s General Manager of Strategy, Engagement and Innovation, Anna Jackson, said while this location is not being ruled out, it’s important to test project plans to achieve the most efficient outcome for customers.

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Sydney desalination plant churning out water even as dams remain full – Australia

Sydney’s $2.3 billion desalination plant is continuing to supply 50 million litres of water a day just weeks after the city’s dams spilled and storage levels remain near full.

New figures from WaterNSW also show Sydney’s main dam at Warragamba collected 1212 gigalitres of inflows from the big rainfall event – or 1,212,000,000,000 litres. That is about 60 per cent of the dam’s capacity.

As the dam was near-full before the deluge across eastern NSW ramped up from March 19, it began spilling within a day.

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Farm labour, water security and new farm equipment for rural Australia targeted in Federal Budget – Australia

The Federal Budget includes billions of dollars for water infrastructure, and an extended instant asset write-off to help rural Australia lead the country out of the COVID-19 recession.

But those hoping for a clear plan to address the desperate worker shortage on farms or deal with increasing global trade tensions may be disappointed.

With a forecast labour shortage of almost 30,000 workers this harvest, the Federal Government has committed $17.4 million over two years for relocation assistance.

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Researchers Have Pioneered A Technique To Purify Water By Using The Power Of Sunlight – Australia

Scientists in Australia have been able to transform brackish water and seawater into safe, clean drinking water in less than 30 minutes using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and sunlight.

In a discovery that could provide potable water for millions of people across the world, researchers were not only able to filter harmful particles from water and generate 139.5L of clean water per kilogram of MOF per day, but also perform this task in a more energy-efficient manner than current desalination practices.

Metal-organic frameworks are a class of compounds consisting of metal ions that form a crystalline material with the largest surface area of any material known.

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Perth weather watchers worry below-average winter rainfall leaving landscape vulnerable – Australia

Eugenio Valenti has spent almost 70 years growing some of the most coveted grapes in the Swan Valley and turning them into his rustic, Italian-style wine.

But a lot has changed since the 89-year-old started in 1952, most notably the climate.

It’s changed a lot — before in the winter, there was lots and lots of rain, the drainage and the creeks were full,” he recalled.

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