Melbourne Water to Top up the Yarra Following Dry Summer
Australian utility, Melbourne Water is to release up to 3.6 million cubic metres of water to replenish the Yarra River from March.
The release is the second fresh environmental water release to the Yarra since summer 2013 and is intended to counter the impact of low flows over the past few months. The water is part of the Yarra River's annual 17 million cubic metres allocation that is dedicated to environmentally maintaining Melbourne's iconic waterway.
The city's waterways have experienced low volumes of water over the summer due to prolonged periods of hot and dry weather. The main objective of this latest release is to improve water quality and scour sediment that has accumulated in waterways during the recent low flows.
The company explained that the water will be released from the Upper Yarra, O'Shannassy and Maroondah Reservoirs to achieve the desired flow rates along the river and mimic its natural process. Such environmental water releases were also said to be designed to flush fine sediment and organic material from the river bed, maintain habitat for bugs and fish life and support native vegetation.
During this release the utility said that river levels in the target area may be up to 20-90 cm higher, which is within the river's usual level of variance.
Welsh Water Infrastructure Plan Continues with New £4.5 million Sewer
Major improvements are to be made to key parts of Wales' wastewater system in parts of Denbighshire and Conwy under utility Welsh Water's planned £1.5 billion investment in its water and sewerage network between 2010 and 2015.
The latest project to benefit from the investment plan is the £4.5 million renewal of the existing sewerage main from Rhyl to Kinmel Bay. The utility said that the main has had operational issues resulting in several bursts over the past few years.
Investment will involve replacing the existing rising main with a new upsized pipe along a new route, as well as replacing a pump at Marine Lake pumping station.
According to Welsh Water, construction of the new 4.2 km sewer main is not a straightforward. The main will be laid around Marine Lake in a narrow area of land between the railway track and nearby houses. From there, it will travel under the main north Wales railway line.
As such the utility has consulted with Network Rail and local authorities during the design and planning stages of the scheme to minimise disruption to local residents during the construction.
The new sewer pipe will be made of pressure polyethylene which the company said would ensure its longevity.
Degrémont to Build €5.7 million Drinking Water Plant in Nigeria
French water treatment firm, Degrémont, a subsidiary of Suez Environnement, has won a €5.7 million contract to design and build a drinking water production plant in the new city of Karshi on the outskirts of Abuja, Nigeria's capital city.
Under the contract Degrémont will provide engineering and equipment services and support the installation and start-up of the plant in collaboration with civil engineering company SCC.
Prior to processing, the company explained that the untreated water will be drawn from a reservoir situated upstream of a dam close to the city.
Once complete the facility is expected to produce 60,000 m3/day and will be equipped with two Pulsator® pulsed sludge bed settling tank clarifiers and six Aquazur V® descending current open sand filters, as well as pumping stations.
The plant is expected to take 24 months to complete and the company noted that the new contract follows others it has won in Nigeria with the SCC for similar plants at Owena in 2007 and Kashimbila in 2011.
Rémi Lantier, chief executive officer of Degrémont said that Africa "is in the process of tremendous change" and that "infrastructural needs are becoming increasingly important".
The CEO added that the contract strengthens the firm's position in Africa.
