On Tap in the Redlands: Issue 1 – April 2016

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Issue 1

Welcome to our first edition of On Tap. The aim of this monthly update is to profile current projects and provide topical information about the water and waste industries.

Who we are

After the closure of Allconnex in 2012, Redland Water and Waste (RWW) was established as a commercial business unit of Redland City Council. Our primary responsibilities include:

  • Water distribution
  • Wastewater collection and treatment
  • Trade waste
  • Landfill remediation
  • Transfer station operations
  • Kerbside collection
  • Waste strategy

RWW is responsible for water distribution, while the bores, dams and reservoirs are owned and operated by the state government (Seqwater). We purchase bulk water from Seqwater, which we supply to our residents via our water supply schemes:

  • Redland City Mainland and Southern Moreton Bay Islands Supply Scheme
  • Dunwich Supply Scheme
  • Amity Point Supply Scheme
  • Point Lookout Supply Scheme

Our role in the community

  • Redland Water operates seven waste water treatment plants. In 2014/15, we collected and treated 11,451ML of waste water from more than 50,000 connected properties. This was transported via 1115 km of sewerage mains.
  • Redland Water maintains more than 1,270km of water main (that’s about the same distance as driving from Brisbane to Canberra).
  • We service a population of 146,625 residents and 65,938 properties connected to the water network.
  • Our average daily demand for water in the Redlands in 2014/15 was 37.67 ML (or 15 Olympic swimming pools)
  • Our maximum daily demand for water in the Redlands in 2014/15 was 55.30 ML (or 22 Olympic swimming pools)
  • On average, every residence is supplied with 0.168 ML of water annually (or 84 average rain water tanks)
  • We received more than 55,000 tonnes of landfill in 2014/15
  • We collected 2459 tonnes of kerbside green waste for 2014/15
  • We recycled 25,599 tonnes of waste in 2014/15 from across the mainland and bay islands.

Sources: Redland Water Performance Report 2014/15 and Redwaste KPI data

For even more detail, take a look at Redland Water Performance Report.

Point Lookout Wastewater Treatment PlantPoint Lookout Sewerage Update

The Point Lookout Waste Water Treatment Plant Upgrade is well underway with construction expected to be completed in July and wet commissioning conducted in August and September.

This $13.5 million dollar project will ultimately service 4600 residents and visitors at Point Lookout during peak periods.  The new plant will provide a minimal impact to the environment and greatly reduce odour concerns. Membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology will ensure a higher quality effluent through ultra-fine screening, denitrification, chemical phosphorous removal, membrane treatment and disinfection. Planning is also underway to sewer remaining areas of Point Lookout that currently use septic tanks.

Check out these time lapse videos to see the progress of work on the– Slab and Northern Wall

Benchmarking Report 2014/15

The fifth annual Urban Potable Water and Sewerage Benchmarking Report 2014/15 was released last month. The report includes data from 58 water and sewerage service providers across the state, including Redland City Council, and provides comparative information relating to capacity and viability, customer service, asset condition, and performance and management.

How do we compare?

Asset condition:

Our water main-breaks are one of the lowest in the entire state, allowing the majority of capital expenditure to be diverted to improving our sewer network. We spend above the state median per property on sewerage infrastructure, ensuring the number of sewerage main breaks and chokes per 100km of main is below the state average while also keeping our operating costs below the state average per property with regard to both sewerage and water.

Customer service:

On average, we take  27 minutes (water) and 33 minutes (sewerage) to respond to incidents, which is below the state average and is the lowest for comparatively sized service providers. The number of complaints across sewerage and water per 1000 properties is also below the state average.

Performance reporting is a legislative requirement under the Regulator and allows us to provide ‘surety and transparency’ to our consumers.

Source:  The 2014-15 Urban Potable Water and Sewerage Benchmarking Report

What’s making news?

Flush Busters

If you thought it was safe to flush your ‘flushable’ wipes and cleaning cloths, think again. The truth is that many of these products take a very long time to break down. They not only clog your drains, but create some seriously messy and expensive blockages at our treatment plants and pump stations too.

Choice Magazine recently launched its Flush Busters campaign, which urges companies to do away with dodgy claims about flushable wipes. This time lapse video demonstrates how long it takes to break down 4-ply toilet tissue in comparison to three major ‘flushable’ and one ‘non flushable’ brands.

RWW is conducting ongoing communications with our customers to ensure that wet wipes are not flushed.

How can you help? Join the anti-flush revolution and bin your wipes instead!

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