Australia

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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New Material Makes Salty Water Safe to Drink in Minutes – Sydney

The new innovation developed by scientists in Australia could be the most promising one yet, with researchers using metal-organic framework compounds (or MOFs) together with sunlight to purify water in just half an hour, using a process that’s more efficient than existing techniques, ScienceAlert reported. 

It’s cheap, it’s stable, it’s reusable, and it produces water that meets the World Health Organisation (WHO) standards for desalination.

Around 139.5 litres (nearly 37 gallons) of clean water can be produced per day from a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of MOF material, based on early testing.

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Sydney water quality issues keep desal plant running – Australia

Concerns about water quality in Sydney’s main reservoir following last summer’s bushfires have prompted the government to continue to operate the city’s desalination plant even as dams near capacity.

Warragamba Dam on Friday reached 99 per cent capacity after recent rains lifted water levels by one-eighth in a week, WaterNSW data shows.

Across the network, Sydney’s dams were 97.5 per cent full having doubled since February rains effectively ended the region’s drought. Nepean reservoir continues to spill, while most others are more than 94 per cent full.

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Australia develops technology to make seawater drinkable within 30 minutes – Australia

Using only a high-tech filter and the power of direct sunlight, Australian researchers have developed a world-first technology that can make large volumes of seawater safe to drink in less than 30 minutes.

According to the Melbourne-based Monash University, the specially-designed filter is capable of generating hundreds of litres of drinkable water per day, and requires only direct sunlight to purify it, making the process energy-efficient, low cost and sustainable.

Used in making the filters are metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), 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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Ensuring a climate-resilient water supply for South East Queensland’s future – Australia

Seqwater is the Queensland Government Bulk Water Supply Authority and is responsible for providing a safe, reliable and affordable drinking water supply to 3.2 million people across South East Queensland (SEQ).

A resilient water supply is delivered through 1.8 million hectares of catchment and Australia’s first water grid, including 26 dams, 36 conventional water treatment plants, three purified recycled water treatment plants and one desalination plant.

Seqwater’s extensive capital works and asset maintenance programs play a critical role in safeguarding water sources to meet the future needs of SEQ in a changing climate.

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Eyre Peninsula desalination plant moves proposed location after resident concerns – Australia

Residents living close to a proposed desalination plant at Sleaford Bay have felt their concerns have been listened to, as SA Water confirms the site will be positioned further away from Sleaford Mere and whale aggregation areas.

Sleaford Bay resident David Farlam said over a year of consultations with SA Water had paid off.

“The local Sleaford community is really pleased with the decision from what I can gather,” Mr Farlam said.

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