Watermining
Southwell Park Watermining
facility recycles Canberra's wastewater.
What is the Watermining facility?
The ACTEW Watermining facility extracts wastewater from a sewer, treats the water to a high standard, and provides recycled water for local use in irrigation of the local Southwell Park fields.
The benefits of ACTEW's Watermining facility:
- recycled wastewater
- reduced load on the main sewerage system
- potential to be used in many public parks and gardens in Canberra.
The Watermining process
The treatment processes employed in the Watermining facility include:
1. Sewage extraction |
- Wastewater is pumped from a main sewer
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2. Primary treatment |
- A screen keeps the larger solids out of the treatment system
- Lime is added to assist treatment
- Smaller solids are separated from the water by allowing them to settle
- All the solids are returned to the sewer
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3. Secondary treatment |
- Soluble impurities and ammonia are removed by biological treatment
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4. Tertiary treatment |
- Microfiltration removes fine solids and bacteria (the first health protection barrier)
- Hypochlorite disinfection kills any remaining bacteria (the second health protection barrier)
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5. Water recycling |
- The recycled water is then used to irrigate Southwell Park, adjoining the ACTEW Watermining facility.
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6. Solids disposal |
- The solids separated during the treatment process are returned to the sewer, for treatment at Canberra's major plant, the Lower Molonglo Water Quality Control Centre (LMWQCC).
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Please click here to view a process flow diagram of the Watermining facility.
Is the recycled water safe?
The Watermining facility provides water of a suitable quality for irrigating the playing fields of Southwell Park.
Protecting the health of the public has been a major consideration in the design and operation of the ACTEW Watermining facility. The treated effluent is produced to a high quality as required by strict Environmental and Health guidelines.
Please contact us if you have any queries or require any additional information about ACTEW's Watermining facility.
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