#: locale=en
## Tour
### Title
tour.name = Calala Water Treatment Plant
## Media
### Title
map_74B72CF7_658A_23A0_41C0_84A48C4271F1.label = Treatment Plant Floorplan
panorama_0ABC6483_19A6_D361_41B1_D10DA9974717.label = play-bg
panorama_26C19649_218C_2980_41BF_4FE3577BE056.label = Stairs
panorama_26C1E17A_218C_2B80_41B0_F51A68F3031D.label = Baths Entry
panorama_26C21D07_218C_7B80_41B2_695DEE0F3EC9.label = Pump Room
panorama_26C22072_218C_2980_41A5_B19681310B04.label = Baths 2
panorama_26C2F705_218C_3780_41B5_2AE340364D13.label = Filter Gallery 2
panorama_26CE265E_218C_2980_41BD_D37A2252E04C.label = Baths 1
panorama_26CE613C_218C_2B80_41BF_F156611FEA1B.label = Lab
panorama_26CECD5D_218C_5B80_41BB_66C7DF98851C.label = lab hallway
panorama_2BB4B2A2_2184_2E80_41B4_3C3E6F271726.label = Control Room
panorama_F89FB01C_EA46_76F6_41D3_C82445FC183B.label = grey-bg
video_68065CEB_658A_E3A7_41D4_BB13444AC7DD.label = Treatment Plant - Rotating
## Popup
### Body
htmlText_2B88559E_21CA_CF83_41AB_62FB2ACD66A9.html = Aluminium sulphate is dosed into the water at this point.
CHEMICAL: Aluminium sulphate – a chemical compound that is added to the water as a coagulating agent.
The delay tank is a tank filled with baffles to slow the water down and get a good mix of chemicals prior to the water entering the clarifiers.
DEFINITION: Baffle - flow control device which increases the retention time in water treatment facilities.
The water that has been sent as part of the sludge from the clarifiers, and as part of the dirty backwash water from filters, is then separated at the lagoons for reuse. The heavy sludge and dirt settles to the bottom of the lagoons and the clear water is drawn off the top. This clear water is then pumped across town to be used to irrigate a golf course and the Australian Equestrian and Livestock Events Centre
(AELEC). The sludge is inert and does not contain any properties that allow it to be reused for any purpose.
Clear water drawn from the top of the clarifiers enters the top of the filters and sinks through layers of anthracite, sand and gravel. These layers filter out the smaller dirt particles that did not join together as sludge in the clarifiers. The filters are regularly cleared out by flushing air bubbles through the water from bottom to top and pumping the dirty water to the sludge lagoons.
DEFINITION: Turbidity - measure of the cloudiness of water due to the presence of suspended solid particles. The more total suspended solids in the water, the murkier it seems and the higher the turbidity. This is measured using an instrument called a Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU).
DEFINITION: Parts per million – describes the concentration of particles in water, can also be expressed as milligrams per litre (mg/L).
DEFINITION: Australian Drinking Water Guidelines – the national standards for quality of drinking water supplied across Australia.
DEFINITION: Anthracite – A hard, compact variety of coal with a high carbon content.
Clear water drawn from the top of the clarifiers enters the top of the filters and sinks through layers of anthracite, sand and gravel. These layers filter out the smaller dirt particles that did not join together as sludge in the clarifiers. The filters are regularly cleared out by flushing air bubbles through the water from bottom to top and pumping the dirty water to the sludge lagoons.
Clear water drawn from the top of the clarifiers enters the top of the filters and sinks through layers of anthracite, sand and gravel. These layers filter out the smaller dirt particles that did not join together as sludge in the clarifiers. The filters are regularly cleared out by flushing air bubbles through the water from bottom to top and pumping the dirty water to the sludge lagoons.
DEFINITION: Turbidity - measure of the cloudiness of water due to the presence of suspended solid particles. The more total suspended solids in the water, the murkier it seems and the higher the turbidity. This is measured using an instrument called a Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU).
DEFINITION: Parts per million – describes the concentration of particles in water, can also be expressed as milligrams per litre (mg/L).
DEFINITION: Australian Drinking Water Guidelines – the national standards for quality of drinking water supplied across Australia.
DEFINITION: Anthracite – A hard, compact variety of coal with a high carbon content.
Polyelectrolyte dosing
The chemical polyelectrolyte is added to the water at this point to assist with coagulation and flocculation.
DEFINITION: Coagulation – adding chemical to water which produces positive charges to neutralize the negative charges on the dirt particles, which can then stick together forming larger particles which can be more easily removed.
DEFINITION: Flocculation - The gathering together of fine particles in water by gentle mixing after the addition of coagulant chemicals to form larger particles.
CHEMICAL: Polyelectrolyte - a polymer which has several ionizable groups along the molecule.
Fluoride dosing
The water is dosed with small amounts fluoride to assist with maintaining dental health in accordance with NSW Health guidelines.
CHEMICAL: Fluoride - a salt of hydrofluoric acid consisting of two elements, one of which is fluorine, as sodium fluoride.
Soda ash dosing
The water is dosed with soda ash for pH correction which adjusts how alkaline or acidic the water is.
CHEMICAL: Sodium bicarbonate – or ‘soda ash’
DEFINITION: pH – a figure expressing the acidity or alkalinity of water, measured on a scale from 0 to 14, and 7 represents neutral where the water is neither alkaline nor acidic.
DEFINITION: Alkaline water - water that has low acidity, meaning it is rich in alkalizing compounds, including calcium, silica, potassium, magnesium, and bicarbonate.
DEFINITION: Acidic water - also known as electrolysed water, acidic water has a pH below 7. The water tends to taste sharp and causes corrosion in pipes, fixtures and basins.
Water enters from the delay tank through an inner ring of the 2.5 megalitre clarifier tank. Coagulation and flocculation then occur in this inner ring, where smaller dirt particles clump together into heavy sludge which sinks to the bottom of the clarifier tank and is pumped away regularly to the sludge lagoons. The water that is sent as part of the sludge is separated at the lagoons for reuse.
The clear water at the very top of the tank is drawn off through long troughs and pumped through to the filters, the next stage of the process.
DEFINITION: Coagulation – adding chemical to water which produces positive charges to neutralize the negative charges on the dirt particles, which can then stick together forming larger particles which can be more easily removed.
DEFINITION: Flocculation - The gathering together of fine particles in water by gentle mixing after the addition of coagulant chemicals to form larger particles.
Untreated water from Chaffey Dam enters the outside ring and water from Dungowan Dam enters the inside ring. It is located at the top of a hill to gravity-feed into the treatment plant. Chaffey Dam water enters via releases into the Peel River, Dungowan Dam water enters via a pipeline.
If there are high levels of algae in either dam water source, this can lead to taste and odour issues. These can be corrected by adding Powder Activated Carbon, sometimes known as charcoal, into the water to absorb the particles containing the taste and odour. These particles are later separated out of the water as part of the clarification process.
CHEMICAL: Carbon - a non-metal which has two main forms, diamond and graphite, and which also occurs in impure form in charcoal, soot, and coal.
Clear water drawn from the top of the clarifiers enters the top of the filters and sinks through layers of anthracite, sand and gravel. These layers filter out the smaller dirt particles that did not join together as sludge in the clarifiers. The filters are regularly cleared out by flushing air bubbles through the water from bottom to top and pumping the dirty water to the sludge lagoons.
The treated water is finally distributed throughout the city via six 500KW pumps pumping to 18 storage reservoirs at 400 litres per second per pump. The water is first pumped to two large reservoirs at One Tree Hill in the south or Victoria Park in the East. From these large reservoirs water is distributed by pumps or gravity to the other reservoirs. Pumps are run to move water in off-peak electricity charge periods to save energy costs.
Water enters from the delay tank through an inner ring of the 2.5 megalitre clarifier tank. Coagulation and flocculation then occur in this inner ring, where smaller dirt particles clump together into heavy sludge which sinks to the bottom of the clarifier tank and is pumped away regularly to the sludge lagoons. The water that is sent as part of the sludge is separated at the lagoons for reuse.
The clear water at the very top of the tank is drawn off through long troughs and pumped through to the filters, the next stage of the process.
DEFINITION: Coagulation – adding chemical to water which produces positive charges to neutralize the negative charges on the dirt particles, which can then stick together forming larger particles which can be more easily removed.
DEFINITION: Flocculation - The gathering together of fine particles in water by gentle mixing after the addition of coagulant chemicals to form larger particles.
The filtered water enters the clear contact wells beneath the filters and is dosed with chlorine. The water molecules are given time to ‘contact’ or mix with the chlorine particles to disinfect or kill any microorganisms or pathogens.
DEFINITION: Microorganisms / pathogens – tiny living bodies, especially bacterium, virus or fungus that can cause infection and disease.
CHEMICAL: Chlorine - a common non-metallic element used to purify water as a bleaching agent and disinfectant.
The filtered water enters the clear contact wells beneath the filters and is dosed with chlorine. The water molecules are given time to ‘contact’ or mix with the chlorine particles to disinfect or kill any microorganisms or pathogens.
DEFINITION: Microorganisms / pathogens – tiny living bodies, especially bacterium, virus or fungus that can cause infection and disease.
CHEMICAL: Chlorine - a common non-metallic element used to purify water as a bleaching agent and disinfectant.