Global experiences
Purified water has been used to supplement water supplies around the world for many decades. These global destinations enjoy the benefits of purified water. So too can Canberra.
NEWater Facilitites in Singapore
| Location: |
Republic of Singapore |
 |
| Owner: |
Singapore Public Utilities Board |
| Year Placed in Service: |
2002 |
| Source Water: |
Secondary Treated Effluent from Kranji, Seletar and Bedok Water Reclamation Plants |
| Treatment Technology: |
Ultrafiltration/microfiltration and reverse osmosis membrane technologies, followed by ultraviolet disinfection |
To meet the burgeoning water demand of its 4.2 million people with limited land and diminishing water resources, Singapore’s Public Utilities Board (PUB) looked beyond conventional answers to find creative and sustainable water supply solutions.
The PUB decided to take advantage of the latest technologies and approaches to help them manage the water cycle in an integrated and sustainable manner. Singapore designed a demonstration project and then "water reclamation" plants in Bedok and Kranji to produce potable water (NEWater) from reclaimed secondary effluent, subsequently a third NEWater plant in Seletar.
The latest ultrafiltration/microfiltration and reverse osmosis membrane technologies, followed by ultraviolet disinfection, treat used water to standards higher than the drinking water standards of the World Health Organization and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Today, NEWater goes to high-tech industries requiring ultrapure water, and a small percentage is blended with reservoir water for drinking water supply purposes.
The PUB also build a NEWater Visitor Centre at the Bedok site to help create community understanding about the project and technologies.
The Centre showcases a new way of thinking about water management, which helps local people overcome the fears and prejudices that have halted other projects worldwide. The community educational effort has been recognised a success worldwide.
http://www.pub.gov.sg/NEWater/
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Upper Occoquan Sewage Authority Water Reclamation Plant, Fairfax County, Virginia, USA
| Location: |
Centreville (Northern Virginia), USA |
 |
| Owner: |
Upper Occoquan Sewage Authority |
| Year Placed in Service: |
1978 |
| Treatment Technology: |
High pH lime clarification, two-stage re-carbonation, media filtration, granular-activated carbon, ion exchange and chlorination |
In the late 1960s, the opening of Interstate 66 created a suburban area which was convenient for people working in Washington DC. The attractiveness of the area resulted in accelerated population growth. In the late 1960s the area was serviced by 11 publicly owned treatment plants which discharged secondary (or three star) effluent to the Occoquan watershed leading to water quality problems in the Occoquan Reservoir.
The quality of the water in the reservoir was deteriorating and in 1971, the Virginia State Water Control Board adopted a comprehensive water policy which included the creation of a regional water reclamation agency.
The outcome was the formation of the Upper Occoquan Sewage Authority (UOSA) and the construction of a state-of-the-art advanced water reclamation plant to replace the 11 treatment plants in 1978. The capacity of the plant at that time was 57 megalitres/day (ML/d) but it has been subsequently increased to 200 ML/d.
The Occoquan Reservoir is a source of water for more than one million people. In 1968 the UOSA discharged 87 ML/d into the Occoquan Reservoir and this constituted 7 percent of the annual average flow in the catchment. Percentages of water treated and discharged by the plant vary but can be as high as 80 to 90 percent.
A study comparing the microbiological quality of water from the reclamation plant with that from the reservoir showed that the treated water was of a consistently higher quality.
The water reclamation plant has incorporated multiple safe features to enhance reliability (e.g., back-up units for all electrical and mechanical systems, sources of electricity, storage basins to retain the water during emergencies and a distributed control system). There is a highly skilled laboratory which consistently monitors the water quality in the product water and the reservoir, ensuring that the UOSA meets its goal to produce high-quality, pathogen-and toxics-free water at all times.
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Clayton County Water Authority Land Application System and Wetlands, Georgia, USA
| Location: |
Clayton County, Georgia, USA |
 |
| Owner: |
Clayton County Water Authority |
| Year Placed in Service: |
1982 |
| Treatment Technology: |
Land application system (LAS) and wetlands from W.B. Casey Water Reclamation Facility |
Clayton County Water Authority (CCWA) provides water to more than 260,000 people in Clayton County, Georgia, and has a combined water production capacity of approximately 159 ML/d. Since 1982, CCWA has operated a land application system, whereby treated water is pumped to a holding pond and eventually sprayed into a forest plantation on land owned by CCWA. Trees and soils form a "living filter" which purifies the water before it passes into CCWA’s reservoirs.
By the end of the 1990s, CCWA was approaching the limits of its ability to expand the land application systems. To address this problem, a series of treatment wetlands was introduced. The first phase of the wetlands came into operation in 2004, with a second phase introduced in 2006. A third phase will bring total capacity to 91 ML/d. Flow previously sent to the land application system is now diverted to constructed wetland cells for additional purification. Water from the wetlands eventually drains to storage reservoirs in the area to augment the drinking water supply.
CCWA treats water as a single resource which can be used for many purposes. By integrating water reclamation, water production and catchment management, CCWA provides a sustainable process which provides protection for its water. The use of forested land application areas and wetlands also provides an environmental benefit, as these areas are now carefully managed and protected, and provide unique recreational opportunities close to a major urban centre.
Constructed wetlands are also proving to be more efficient, cost-effective and environmentally sensitive than comparable purification processes. The wetlands allow the CCWA to increase water production, while dropping the costs incurred in the process. The cost to produce purified water using constructed wetlands is less than half the cost of producing purified water with more conventional methods.
http://www.ccwa1.com
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Hueco Bolson Recharge Project, El Paso, Texas, USA
| Location: |
El Paso, Texas, USA |
 |
| Owner: |
El Paso Water Utilities (governed by the Public Services Board) |
| Year Placed in Service: |
1985 |
| Source Water: |
Fred Hervey Water Reclamation Plant |
| Treatment Technology: |
Advanced treatment using a ten-step process (powdered-activated carbon [PAC], lime clarification, recarbonation and granular media) |
El Paso Water Utilities (EPWU) provides water and wastewater services to a population of approximately 700,000 in the city of El Paso and across the region. The population served by EPWU has increased by 3 percent in the last decade and is projected to increase to 1.5 million by the year 2050.
The Hueco Bolson aquifer provides about 40 percent of the municipal water needs of El Paso and the surrounding area and 100 percent of the water needs of the cities of Ciudad Juarez in Mexico and Fort Bliss in Texas. The aquifer receives a very limited natural recharge.
In the mid-1970s, the El Paso water utility became concerned about the rate at which the fresh water reserves of the Hueco Bolson were being depleted, and began investigating artificially recharging the aquifer with highly treated used water. The 38-ML/d Fred Hervey Reclamation Plant (FHWRP) and associated Hueco Bolson Recharge Project started full operation in 1985 and treated up to 7.5 ML/d of used water to drinking water standards for injection into the aquifer. The processing facility utilises a ten-step process to produce water which meets US Environmental Protection Agency drinking water standards for injection. Ozone is used in the disinfection process.
The FHWRP was the first full-scale plant to take untreated used water influent to potable water standards in the United States. Historically, the Hueco Bolson has been El Paso’s principal source of supply, but current studies indicate that the supply of recoverable freshwater from the Hueco Bolson will be exhausted by 2025 or 2030 at current pumping rates. EPWU is currently investigating water savings strategies and alternative sources of water, including desalination, to meet its growing water needs.
http://www.epwu.org/reclaimed_water/r_water.html
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Montebello Forebay Groundwater Recharge Project, California, USA
| Location: |
Los Angeles, California, USA |
 |
| Owner: |
Water Replenishment District and Los Angeles County Sanitation District |
| Year Placed in Service: |
1962 |
| Source Water: |
Whittier Narrows Water Reclamation Plant |
| Treatment Technology: |
Soil aquifer treatment via spreading basins into the Rio Hondo and San Gabriel Coastal Spreading Grounds |
The Whittier Narrows Water Reclamation Plant was the first reclamation plant built by the Water Replenishment District and is the source water for the longest running groundwater recharge project in the United States. It provides treatment for 170 ML of used water per day, making up 35 percent of the total recharge to the groundwater basin. The plant serves a population of approximately 150,000 people and replenishes the basin with water for 3.7 million people. Virtually all of the purified water is reused as groundwater recharge into the Rio Hondo and San Gabriel Coastal Spreading Grounds or for irrigation at an adjacent nursery.
The Montebello Forebay Groundwater Recharge Project is important because of its long duration and many health studies which were completed. The health effect studies reported that there is no discernible difference between the health of people who have been drinking the water produced by the project and the health of those who have not.
http://www.lacsd.org/about/wastewater_facilities/
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New Goreangab Water Reclamation Plant, Windhoek, Namibia
| Location: |
Windhoek, Namibia |
 |
| Owner: |
City of Windhoek |
| Year Placed in Service: |
1968 |
| Source Water: |
Goreangab Water Reclamation Plant |
| Treatment Technology: |
Powdered activated carbon, acid, polymers, pre-ozonation, coagulation/flocculation, dissolved air flotation, rapid sand/anthracite filtration, ozonation, biological-activated carbon filtration/adsorption, granular-activated carbon filtration/adsorption, membrane ultra-filtration and chlorination/stabilisation |
The City of Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, has a population of 230,000 and is in a semi-desert region in the most arid country in Southern Africa. Windhoek suffers erratic rainfall and faces a serious water challenge.
The latest available water treatment technology was utilised in the design of the new 21-ML plant, which was completed in 2002. The new Goreangab Water Reclamation Plant is also designed to treat water for direct recycling in the city’s drinking water system.
The water quality of the new Goreangab Water Reclamation Plant is monitored on an ongoing basis. Should any water quality parameter exceed an established value, the plant goes into recycle mode and the water is not delivered.
http://www.windhoekcc.org.na
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Scottsdale Water Campus, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
| Location: |
Scottsdale, Arizona, USA |
 |
| Owner: |
City of Scottsdale |
| Year Placed in Service: |
1998 |
| Source Water: |
Disinfected tertiary effluent from adjacent wastewater reclamation plant |
| Treatment Technology: |
Advanced treatment consists of low-pressure membrane filtration, thin-film wells. Groundwater recharge uses micofiltration and reverse osmosis |
In 1998, the desert community of Scottsdale, Arizona (population 223,000), found itself with no natural surface water source and a decreasing groundwater supply. Scottsdale had historically treated and disposed of its used water but soon saw the missed opportunity which this water supply presented as an asset for its population and a way of meeting its growing water demand.
The City of Scottsdale decided to build the Water Campus, which contains a 189-ML/d water treatment plant, a 45.4-ML/d water reclamation plant and an advanced water treatment facility, which consists of microfiltration, reverse osmosis and recharge systems. The 45.4-ML/d facility currently produces water principally for golf course irrigation. In the winter when irrigation needs are reduced, the water undergoes advanced purification (microfiltration and reverse osmosis) before discharge into the drinking water aquifer.
The Water Campus is being expanded to accommodate additional growth for the area. Advanced technology helps Scottsdale to meet its growing needs for water and secure water supplies.
http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/water/conservation/qa.asp
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F. Wayne Hill Water Resource Center, Lawrenceville, Georgia, USA
| Location: |
Lawrenceville, Georgia, USA |
 |
| Owner: |
Gwinnett County |
| Year Placed in Service: |
2000, expanded in 2005 |
| Source Water: |
Disinfected tertiary effluent from adjacent wastewater reclamation plant |
| Treatment Technology: |
Chemical coagulation, granular media filtration, carbon adsorption, membrane filtration and ozone disinfection, in addition to conventional secondary treatment and biological nutrient removal |
Gwinnett County is one of the fastest growing regions in the United States. A required capacity expansion of the F. Wayne Hill Water Resources Center inspired the county to seek out a new technology which could also improve the quality of water produced.
Water at the F. Wayne Hill Water Resource Center goes through a rigorous 11-step process which returns it to an almost pristine state before sending it through a 32-kilometer pipeline to a discharge point in the Chattahoochee River. Pending approval by the state, the purified water will be released into Lake Lanier, a major source of drinking water for the greater Atlanta area and a recreational body of water.
Gwinnett County has built a state-of-the-art environmental and heritage centre next to the water production facilities which showcases the importance of water by past, present and future inhabitants.
http://www.water-technology.net/projects/f%5Fwaynehill/
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West Basin Water Recycling Program, El Segundo, California, USA
| Location: |
El Segundo, California (near Los Angeles), USA |
 |
| Owner: |
West Basin Municipal Water District |
| Year Placed in Service: |
1995 |
| Source Water: |
City of Los Angeles’ Hyperion Treatment Plant |
| Treatment Technology: |
Varies depending on requirements of end user |
West Basin Municipal Water District is the sixth largest water district in the state of California serving a population of more than 900,000. It purchases water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and wholesales the imported water to cities, mutual water companies, investor-owned utilities and private companies in southwest Los Angeles County. Some of this water is used to protect against seawater intrusion in the South Bay’s groundwater basin, and the remainder is used to supply the region with recycled water for municipal, commercial and industrial use.
The West Basin Water Recycling Facility (WBWRF) is the largest recycled water plant of its type in the United States. The facility produces multiple grades of recycled water which are designed specifically for the intended use. The applications vary from landscape irrigation to high-tech industrial applications. One of these water products, injected into the ground to act as a barrier against seawater intrusion, protects water quality and replenishes the basin which supplies the region’s drinking water. Some of the water is sold back to the City of Los Angeles as supply to the City’s water reuse system.
The WBWRF produces six different qualities of water, all of which meet the water quality requirements specified in the California Department of Health Services Water Recycling Criteria for the different water applications.
The WBWRF is currently undergoing a US$55 million Phase IV Expansion Project. Once completed, the WBWRF will have the capacity to produce a maximum of 189.27 ML/d of recycled/purified water. Upgrades to the existing barrier water production system will also be installed, improving the efficiency of the process and increasing the quality of the barrier product water.
http://www.westbasin.com/recyclingprogram.html
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Wulpen, Belgium
| Location: |
Wulpen, Belgium |
| Owner: |
Intercommunaal Waterbedrijf Veurne-Ambacht |
| Year Placed in Service: |
2002 |
| Source Water: |
Secondary effluent from the Wulpen Wastewater Treatment Plant |
| Treatment Technology: |
Low-pressure submerged membrane filtration followed by reverse osmosis membrane filtration |
Wulpen is located on the coast of Belgium, near the border with France. Its water supply is from a groundwater basin which was threatened with seawater intrusion. As a popular tourist area, Wulpen was under pressure to secure its water supplies. Recharging the water supply with purified water was selected as the solution. Of the total drinking water demand in the area where Intercommunaal Waterbedrijf Veurne-Ambacht distributes water, 45 percent is fulfilled with purified water.
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Water Factory 21, Orange County, California, USA
| Location: |
Fountain Valley, Orange County, California, USA |
 |
| Owner: |
Orange County Water District |
| Year Placed in Service: |
1976 |
| Source Water: |
Orange County Sanitary District |
| Treatment Technology: |
Original process stream consisted of lime clarification, recarbonation, granular-activated carbon, reverse osmosis and chlorine disinfection |
Orange County Water District's (OCWD) Water Factory 21, located in Fountain Valley, California, was the first groundwater recharge project permitted to use reclaimed water to maintain a seawater intrusion barrier with the knowledge that it would also recharge a drinking water basin. For this reason, it had to meet drinking water standards. Throughout its operation, Water Factory 21 continuously met or exceeded the US Environmental Protection Agency’s drinking water standards. Water Factory 21 was named for 21st century technology and successfully operated from 1976 to 2004, producing up to 6 ML/d of reclaimed water for injection into the underground aquifer, where it was mixed with deep well water.
The purified water produced by the Water Factory was treated using various advanced processes, including reverse osmosis. The water was then injected into the groundwater basin as a freshwater barrier to prevent seawater intrusion, eventually becoming a part of the basin's groundwater supply. The water was also used by industry and for irrigation. The facility was so well known that each year it attracted more than 1,000 visiting water specialists, scientists and leaders from more than 30 countries around the world.
In early 2004, OCWD officially stopped producing water from this world-renowned water purification plant to make way for the Groundwater Replenishment System, which is a new high-tech and larger plant expected to come online in 2007. (See separate case study.)
http://www.ocwd.com/_html/wf21.htm
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Orange County, California, USA Groundwater Replenishment System
| Location: |
Fountain Valley, Orange County, California, USA |
 |
| Owner: |
Orange County Water District |
| Year Placed in Service: |
2007 (second half) |
| Source Water: |
Orange County Sanitary District |
| Treatment Technology: |
Microfiltration, reverse osmosis and UV radiation with hydrogen peroxide disinfection |
The Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) is the new high-tech water purification system which replaced Water Factory 21 and will produce high-quality water. The GWRS water will be used to service a larger, expanded seawater barrier, help drought-proof Orange County’s groundwater basin by providing better water reliability and ensure a sustainable water future for a population increase of nearly three million people by the year 2020. A decade of research, testing and evaluation preceded the decision of the Orange County Water District Board of Directors and the Orange County Sanitary District to start construction of the US$487 million system in early 2003.
Water is injected into Orange County aquifers near the coast to create a barrier to keep ocean water from seeping into the groundwater basin. The water also helps to replenish the basin. When the project comes online, the resulting water will be of near-distilled water quality and will exceed all state and federal drinking water standards.
The water will be piped to spreading basins in Anaheim where it will percolate naturally into the Orange County groundwater basin. More than 50 percent of the area’s water supply is drawn from groundwater aquifers, with the remainder purchased from the Colorado River and California’s State Water Project. The facility will receive highly treated water which is currently released to the ocean and further purify it to better than drinking water quality. The facility uses the best available technology to produce the highest quality of water.
http://www.gwrsystem.com/about/overview.html
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Chelmer Augmentation Wastewater Reuse Scheme in Essex, England
| Location: |
Essex, England |
 |
| Owner: |
Essex and Suffolk Water |
| Year Placed in Service: |
1997 |
| Source Water: |
Chelmsford Sewage Treatment Plant |
| Treatment Technology: |
Microfiltration, ultraviolet radiation |
Essex & Suffolk Water (ESW) operates in southeast England and provides water services to 1.7 million people.
The Chelmer Augmentation Wastewater Reuse Scheme, known as Water 2000, commenced operation in 1997. After approval was given for Essex and Suffolk Water to dispose of used water into the River Chelmer, the water was subsequently used to supplement the supply drawn from Hanningfield Reservoir in Essex.
The scheme was the first water purification project of its kind in Europe. Strict water quality control was put in place, including monitoring of viruses and oestrogens, and numerous studies have been done on the impact of the scheme on the environment and public health (please see website below).
The project was developed in two stages: the first stage involved a temporary scheme to pre-treat used water with ultraviolet disinfection before pumping to Hanningfield Reservoir, a large, 27,000 megalitre, 354 hectare water reservoir with a storage time of up to 214 days. The water then undergoes advanced purification at Hanningfield Treatment Works before being pumped into the local drinking water supply. Initially, up to 30 megalitres/day of purified water was pumped to the reservoir.
In 1999, the second stage of the scheme was implemented, involving putting purified water back in the river after advanced purification at the “source”, Langford Treatment Works.
In 2004, the scheme was further enhanced with the opening of the Langford Recycling Plant, near Maldon. The plant purifies used water to increase water availability during peak periods. It is the first of its kind in the UK and uses state-of-the-art technology to collect used water from Anglian Water that would otherwise be piped into the Blackwater Estuary. The water is abstracted and treated before being taken by pipeline to Hanningfield Reservoir, where it is treated again before being put into drinking water supply.
Testing of the water has occurred on an annual basis, conducted by the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI), which regulates public water supplies in England and Wales. Results have consistently been within the standards for drinking water set by the DWI.
http://www.eswater.co.uk
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Hampton Advanced Water Treatment, London, England
| Location: |
London, England |
| Owner: |
Thames Water |
| Year Placed in Service: |
1997 |
| Source Water: |
Water from the River Thames |
| Treatment Technology: |
Advanced water treatment utilising rapid gravity filters, ozone treatment and sand filters |
Advanced water treatment is a relatively new method of treating water. Thames Water introduced advanced water treatment to purify drinking water at its Hampton purification facility in response to tougher regulations covering water quality in the UK and Europe. The new regulations require sophisticated detection and treatment of pesticides, which are removed during the advanced treatment process.
The process involves ozone and granular activated carbon adsorption. Thames Water draws water from the River Thames and pumps it to a variety of bank-side storage reservoirs. On arrival at Hampton, the stored water is fed into the Grand Junction Reservoir. This small reservoir is predominantly used to blend different source water and balance the flow into the works. The water is then filtered through primary rapid gravity filters.
The water from the primary filters gravitates under the Grand Junction Reservoir and six pumps lift the water into the ozone plant, where it is subjected to ozone dosing before passing to slow sand filters. Ozone is the activated form of oxygen and the dosing helps to reduce pesticide concentrations. An added benefit of ozone is to reduce the concentration of dissolved organic compounds and thus decrease the amounts of chlorine needed for disinfection.
http://www.thameswater.co.uk
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