Affordable Reuse Solutions

A pioneering Adelaide engineering company is providing cost-effective innovative and affordable solutions for small regional councils in South Australia who have neither the rateable income nor technical know-how to operate complex sewage treatment plants.

Managed by father and son Tony and Mark Catalano, Alano Water constructs and project manages municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants working with communities to provide customised solutions that help them meet environmental and long term water sustainability goals.

Affordable Reuse Solutions Recent projects include the design and construction of a new sewage treatment at Eudunda which treats effluent to Class B to enable reuse on ovals and parklands.

At North Shores Wallaroo, Alano Water is designing, constructing and will operate by remote control a new plant servicing a housing development. Sensors will allow remote monitoring of plant performance and local environmental conditions that may affect irrigation practices.

A new sewage treatment plant at Strathalbyn will include in-ground tanks with trafficable roofs. Treated effluent will irrigate recreational areas.

Alano Water has already won an Australian Water Industry Award for its packaged treatment plant solution for the community of Port Wakefield, north of Adelaide.

Further information:
Mark Catalano
Ph: +61 8 8355 0487
Email: admin@alanowater.com

SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF WATER CYCLE: WATER SAVING

The correct utilization of water resources is a fundamental goal, to which by now many regulations in European and national environmental laws tend. Water saving, recycling reuse are keywords of a good strategy of water resource management, obviously together with wastewater treatment and restitution to the environment of not polluted waters.

There are many feasible actions that allow a significant saving of water; the interest towards these possibilities has recently grown both in the scientific world and in the competent authorities.

Many simple devices that allow to reduce up to 50% the hot and cold water consumption exist: halving the water consumptions allows to save not only fresh water, but also fuel used to heat it, with a consequent energy (and money) saving and a reduction of pollution of the air and of the greenhouse effect.

These devices, called flow accelerators, replace traditional taps of showers and faucets. The functioning is based on the “Venturi” principle, which allows creating an air-water mix.

These systems avoid limestone deposition, reduce maintenance costs bettering the pressure in the hydro-sanitary devices and avoid the lack of hot water in case of many showers used at the same time. Moreover, technical interventions are not necessary to install them.

Also with toilet flushing it is possible to reduce water consumptions, passing from the 12 litres consume in traditional systems to 7 litres consume in the newest types. Typologies of toilet flushing available at the moment are:

•  12 litres: the traditional WC;

•  9 litres: the old porcelain WC positioned up from the seat, that harnesses water fall to enhance pressure and velocity;

•  double button: WC with a differentiating valve;

•  7 litres in pressure: systems that use pressure of the net or of a pump.

However, most innovative solutions for domestic sanitation (according to the approach called at international level “sustainable sanitation”) are those which consist in the separation of black and grey waters inside the buildings. These solutions, beside allowing recycling of water in the households and consequently reducing of consumptions, permit to optimize sewage systems and treatment plants.