Water utilities are often challenged to do more with less. With ever-growing pressures on service delivery, quality and cost, the demand for improved service levels, and justifications for cost of service are at an all-time high. One solution is to adopt customer-centric approaches to service delivery, asset management strategies and investments. A customer-centric approach adds velocity and adaptability to stability, [...]
The presence of oxygen in power transformer oil has been shown to accelerate the aging process of the solid insulation. In order to maximise a transformer’s operational life, its oxygen levels should remain as low as possible. Now there is a new method for detecting transformer air leaks that will extend the life of the transformer as well as save [...]
For Gippsland Water, the use of drones in asset inspections has improved safety and delivered cost-savings. Managing Director, Sarah Cumming, said the organisation had embraced the use of drones to improve the way its team carries out essential tasks, like inspecting sites with limited access. “We have a lot of infrastructure that can be difficult to access and inspect, like [...]
Telemetry is a system that uses sensors to capture and record data remotely before transferring the data to a different location where it can be monitored and analysed. In the last several years, more cost-effective sensors and reduced network costs have seen an exponential increase in IoT devices across multiple industries. These complex systems can now monitor a wide range [...]
In the competitive field of reverse osmosis (RO), purity is expected and water treatment or desalination plants are required to operate around the clock to produce clean drinking water or industrial process water. In the water processing RO units, the main RO element is the membrane. In presence of chlorine, the membrane may be damaged beyond the point that chemical [...]
Water Corporation maintains two underground pipeline tunnels in the Perth Hills – the 5.6km Canning Tunnel and the 3.9km Wungong Dam Tunnel. Inspecting these rock-lined tunnels is an important task that historically has been undertaken by work crews, but robotic vehicles are helping reduce the safety risks for workers. An assessment involves various tests and samples or remedial work when [...]
Critical infrastructure calls for critical equipment. Cybertec cellular modems are trusted by the Australian utilities sector for their reliability, rugged build and ease of use. The Cybertec 2255X is utilised and favoured by utility providers Australia wide. Cybertec cellular modems have been deployed and trusted in the Australian utility sector for well over a decade and there is good reason [...]
Innovative, solution based, forward thinking and customer focused have always been words associated with Piping Specialty Supply Services (PSSS). John Wilton and his team are committed to implementing these values in their day-to-day interactions with clients, and are excited to have added Pig Test Headers to their rental fleet. Through consultation with customers and fabricators, a gap in the market [...]
In March 2020, the Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) announced a new partnership with Isle Utilities and ThinkPlace – W-Lab – 'a partnership which will deliver an industry-leading Innovative Technologies Program for WSAA and its members'. WSAA Executive Director, Adam Lovell, said, “W-Lab has the potential to launch WSAA and our members into a global network which will drive [...]
Powerlink is engaging low-flying helicopters to carry out maintenance inspections of transmission lines Southern Queensland during October through to November. Powerlink’s specialist crews will carry out this work across the region including areas covering: Benarkin North, Crossdale, Harlin, Kinnoul, Linville, Maidenwell, Moore, Somerset Dam, South Nanango, Taromeo, Wivenhoe Pocket and Yarraman where Powerlink’s network is located. Powerlink said these inspections [...]
Digital technologies have created new opportunities for integrating advanced data and analytics into workflows, giving utility field crews the ability to stay connected, and capture, assess and share critical data while on the job. The harsh environments that these crews operate in are unfriendly to electronic equipment, highlighting the need for rugged mobility devices that can hold up in any [...]
Many utility companies currently use a manual process, where as-constructed drawings are drawn on paper in the field before being submitted for manual entry into the relevant GIS. This introduces various points where errors can occur. These include errors and inaccuracies in the initial drawings which are then entered into the system, or errors can be made at the time [...]
Murray River Council’s smart water meter project – featuring Taggle System’s smart metering solutions – has been announced as a finalist in Local Government NSW’s excellence in the environment awards. The water management category recognises excellence in practical solutions for sustainable water management, with winners announced in mid-October. Murray River Council’s Director of Operations and Major Projects, Scott Barber, said [...]
As part of US energy services holding company Southern Company Gas’ goal to maintain quality asset records, the company invested in a three-year project to map over 2,100 miles of its existing transmission pipeline system in four states with high-accuracy GPS. Southern Company Gas selected Locusview’s mapping technology to be used throughout the duration of the project by several contractors. [...]
The rapid evolution and maturity of smart and digital technologies is creating diverse opportunities for utilities to adopt emerging devices and systems which improve operational efficiency, customer experience and enable greater safety outcomes. With a long history of innovation, SA Water is embracing change by fostering and developing new applications of technology for the benefit of its customers and communities. [...]
Seqwater has commissioned detector dogs to sniff out fox dens within dam catchments in South East Queensland to help protect native wildlife. As part of Seqwater’s pest management program, Springer Spaniel Halo and her handler Dennis Gannaway are working to control the negative impacts of foxes and other pest species. Seqwater Biosecurity Officer, Perry Ward, said the springer spaniels were [...]
A focus on changing attitudes towards water has enabled the Northern Territory’s Power and Water Corporation to prolong the life of precious water sources. Power and Water, the Territory’s multi-utility, has about 51,000 water customers spread across an area spanning 1.3 million square kilometres. Most water sources are isolated, with around 90 different sources for 92 communities, including the major [...]
Seqwater has begun using remote control mini-helicopters to deliver precision attacks against invasive weeds threatening South East Queensland’s water supply. The organisation is deploying a 3.5m-long Yamaha RMax helicopter above Wappa Dam to attack an infestation of Water Hyacinth in the drinking water storage. Drones are swiftly becoming an invaluable tool in monitoring and managing aquatic weeds in South East [...]
United Energy is a Victorian electricity distribution company serving 670,000 customers in Melbourne’s south-east suburbs and the Mornington Peninsula, with a network that covers 1,450 square kilometres. In 2018, Zinfra was awarded the operations and maintenance contract for the entire United Energy network, becoming the utility’s trusted partner in energy through its flexible and transparent approach to service delivery. Zinfra [...]
Eleven new trainees have begun careers in the water industry as part of Seqwater’s traineeship program, creating employment opportunities amidst the pandemic. With COVID-19 forcing employees and businesses to adapt the way they operate, Seqwater has changed the delivery of its traineeship program, enabling it to continue to foster the next generation of water industry professionals. Over the past few [...]
Central Highlands Water (CHW) and Goulburn Valley Water (GVW) have joined a nation-wide research project to test wastewater networks for traces of the virus that causes COVID-19. The ColoSSoS Project (Collaboration on Sewage Surveillance of SARS COV2) project will test, track and monitor the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in order to better understand how it spreads. [...]
Piping Specialty Supply Service (PSSS) is a dedicated supplier of specialised machinery, tooling and consumables to the pipeline, energy, water and infrastructure sectors, across both steel and HDPE pipe. PSSS offers a full selection of tools and equipment for HDPE pipeline construction projects, including butt fusion machines. PSSS supplies machines from two of the world's leading manufacturers, McElroy and WeldMaster, [...]
Melbourne Water will spearhead a new project that aims to identify clusters of people infected with the Coronavirus by sampling sewage. The innovative project is designed to equip policy makers and health authorities with crucial data about communities affected with the virus, as well as timelines of potential outbreaks. The sample analysis will help inform COVID-19 controls by indicating disease [...]
Sewer maintenance chambers that are damaged and leaking not only put a strain on the environment, but also on local authorities and their communities. Billions of euros are spent every year across Europe on the renovation of wastewater infrastructure, with the costs of repairing a concrete manhole ranging between 3,000 and 5,000 euros*, approximately AUD$5,400-$9,000. Concrete chambers can suffer from [...]
Energy Networks Australia has stressed that the uncertainty wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic makes preventative maintenance more crucial than ever. The industry body highlighted that these works were essential to protect lives, prevent damage to properties and keep the power on for the future. Energy Networks Australia released a video explaining why the critical maintenance of planned outages is needed to ensure [...]
One leading Australian utility has been sending a floating robot into its sewers to collect data, but it can do a lot more than that – the RACER (Rapid Assessment Condition Evaluation Robot) has been developed to inspect and condition assess large traversable sewers, promising a new age of asset management for the utility. Sydney Water Wastewater Networks Program Lead [...]
Recent research from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney has shown that climate change and urbanisation could prove a threat to groundwater drinking water quality. The research examined the largest global dataset of 9,404 published and unpublished groundwater dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations from aquifers in 32 countries across six continents. DOC is a naturally occurring component of [...]
In Western Australia, Western Power connects more than two million customers over an area larger than the United Kingdom. The South West Interconnected Network (SWIN) is one of the world’s largest standalone grids and spans around 255,000 square kilometres, from Kalbarri in the north to Bremer Bay on the south coast and inland to Kalgoorlie. Thermal image captured by the [...]
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