Innovation Addresses Environmental Issues at Sydney Desalination Plant

Abstract

As water storage levels declined in Sydney, Australia, during 2003 and 2004, the New South Wales government imposed water restrictions and directed government agencies to conduct feasibility studies on new water supplies. Sydney Water commenced a desalination feasibility and planning study in 2005. By 2006, all planning and environmental approvals had been obtained. To confirm negligible impacts from operating a desalination plant, Sydney Water conducted an extensive marine monitoring program. Information required for the design phase was completed in mid-2007 and used to develop a blueprint that served as a proof of concept and hastened the procurement process. Information gathered included seawater-quality and current monitoring, physical modeling of diffusers, and ecotoxicity testing. Current baseline studies began in early 2007 and will continue until the plant is commissioned next year. The studies include water-salinity monitoring, reef habitat surveys, and organism recruitment studies. The studies will be repeated during the project's post-commissioning phase for three years. When collected, both datasets will be used to verify the environmental assessment's prediction of negligible effects on the marine environment resulting from desalination plant operation.