Gippsland Water Factory wins 2012 WateReuse Award

CH2M HILL, a global consulting, design, construction and operations firm, has announced that the Gippsland Water Factory in Victoria is one of the winners of the 2012 WateReuse Awards from the WateReuse Association. The facility received the International Award, while another of CH2M HILL’s projects, the Empire Generating Power Plant in Rensselaer, New York, received the Industrial Project of the Year Award.

The WateReuse Awards honour projects and people across the United States and abroad that have made significant contributions to water re-use. The awards typically recognise projects that advance alternative sources of water supply or offer a novel approach to meeting local water needs.

“Having two of CH2M HILL’s projects recognised with WateReuse Awards is a great honour and demonstrates our leadership in and dedication to developing sustainable, innovative solutions to the world’s water issues,” commented Larry Schimmoller, CH2M HILL Water Reuse Global Technology Lead.

“The fact that both of these winning projects have industrial components - whether it is the Gippsland Water Factory providing purified water to Australian Paper’s mill or the Empire Generating Power Plant utilising high-quality effluent from the wastewater treatment plant across the river for cooling processes - illustrates how important it is to develop industrial and power projects with holistic, sustainable water management in mind so that the long-term needs of the facility can be met while protecting local freshwater resources.”

The Gippsland Water Factory is a water purification and recycling system in the Gippsland region of Victoria. CH2M HILL was a member of the alliance, along with Gippsland Water, Transfield Services and Parsons Brinkerhoff, that provided project management, design, construction and operations services of the facility. It uses state-of-the-art technology, including biological treatment, membrane filtration and reverse osmosis, to treat nearly 35 ML/d of domestic and industrial wastewater. The facility produces 8 to 12 ML/d of high-quality recycled water for use by local industry.

Green engineering principles and design were incorporated throughout the project, including cogeneration of energy from the biogas generated by anaerobic treatment (330 kW) and also a MicroHydro station (340 kW) that captures energy from a large clean water stream that feeds into the clean water reservoir. The electricity powers operations and minimises environmental impacts.

In addition, CH2M HILL, New Media Magic, LLC, Pico Chicago and Melbourne, and DesignInc were the collaborating partners with Gippsland Water for the creative design and delivery of the visitor experience at the Vortex Centre, an innovative community educational facility. Featuring interactive displays, touch screens and videos, the centre focuses on water conservation and sustainable water management; highlighting water as a precious resource at a local, state, national and global level. The hands-on activities, engaging programs and distinctive location combine to promote behavioural change and increased awareness of the need to use water responsibly.