From the Chairman, Brent HawthornIt’s not all sun and Piña colada’s in the Pacific. For the first time in history, Papua New Guinea is facing water scarcity while Samoa has officially announced it is in a state of meteorological drought. Population is on the rise across the Pacific Island, and now more than ever, water and wastewater treatment is of critical importance.

Acquiring a slight tan and a few more friends from the Islands, I can report of a successful Pacific Water and Wastewater Association Conference, which was held in Papua New Guinea between 14 and 17 September 2015. From Guam to Vanuatu, the conference included over 100 representatives from Water Authorities across the entire Pacific Island region as well as Australia & New Zealand. Representatives included Government Ministers, CEO’s, members of Ministries of Health & Sanitation, sampling technicians and private company Engineers and sales consultants.

The mission of the association is clear; “Develop expertise in the Pacific for the sustainable management of water and wastewater services.” The Pacific faces very unique challenges resulting in the development of water management dependent on international collaboration. The international efforts were clear at the conference with representatives from the World Bank.

The association fosters coordination through providing access to information for benchmarking, indicator performances and utility reports. Through a transparent forum, organizations can make a case to Governmental and Non-Governmental funding schemes for further research or community developments. Examples of such schemes are influential to the Pacific- like the one where a study in a rural Samoan community found that the per capita flows were 700-1,200 L/person (compared to

an average of 20-50 L/person everywhere else) which resulted in a constantly empty storage tank. As it turns out, the exuberant flows were not due to too many showers, but rather a serious case of leaky plumbing. Through the grant, a local plumber was employed for a year and the community enjoyed the security of a full storage tank while improving local knowledge on water management.

Although many people there were intimately involved with water treatment, expertise on wastewater and land treatment were rare. Knowing this, and having access to the wealth of information and contacts that the association provides, I believe the possibilities in improving and communicating technologies for land treatment of waste products are endless. In line with the associations desire to be the “voice of water in the Pacific”, I say why not be the “leaders of land treatment in the Pacific”

If you would like to attend or be a part of next year’s Pacific Water and Wastewater Association conference (in Vanuatu next year FYI) visit their website on http://www.pwwa.ws for more information.

Brent HawthornChairman

NZLTC Annual Conference 2016

16-18 March 2016, Gisborne

Important Dates

Abstracts close 30 November 2015

Online registrations open 25 November 2015

Early-bird registrations close 5 February 2016

Final papers & manuscripts 5 February 2016

New Zealand Land Treatment Collective

Dedicated to improving and communicating technology for the land treatment of waste products

New Zealand LandTreatment Collective Newsletter Issue No. 49 November 2015

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The basic principle is a VFCW with gravity flow and a storage volume on top of the filter layer. A primary stage usually serves as trap for settleable particles, e.g. constructed as a sedimentation tank. The storage volume can vary between 0.3 and 2 m, depending on the treated stormwater.

When variable wastewater flows such as combined sewer overflow (CSO) discharge or stormwater has to be treated, a planted gravity flow system – based on slow sand filtration with retention volume on top of the filter level – has proved to be relatively stable in terms of cleaning performance, operation and sustainability. The system is operated only during rain periods; in dry weather, it is aerated through the drainage pipes.

Vertical Gravity Flow Constructed Wetlands for the Treatment of Variable Wastewater Flows – A Review Years ago I watched a TV documentary on Elvis Presley and learned that his second name was Aaron. I have never assumed knowing this was of any importance to me until it helped getting my team a point at the quiz night of the Land Treatment Collective Conference 2015. Well, by the time I watched the documentary I also did not anticipate watching millions of earthworms eating their way through organic waste on the – in my case almost literally – other side of the earth. But the scholarship of the Land Treatment Collective helped making that possible.

Dr. Regina Haussmann, deputy head of our institute and I were planning our trip to New Zealand as part of a joined collaboration between National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research of New Zealand (NIWA) in Hamilton (Dr. Chris Tanner) and our Institute of Environmental Engineering of RWTH Aachen University in Aachen, Germany. Chris suggested visiting the Land Treatment Conference since its topic “Seasonal Impact of Wastewater Management” was linked to the treatment system I work on for my PhD – vertical flow constructed wetland for the treatment of combined sewer overflows. The scholarship helped to cover a part of the travel and accommodation expenses and provided free access to the conference.

The presentations at the conference were very inspiring, since a lot of the challenges that come with seasonal variability in New Zealand are similar to those we are facing in Germany, but the suggested or already practiced solutions are sometimes different, especially when it comes to involving communities into decisions in the extent presented. Combined with the field trips that included the worm farm, I gathered an insight into the way this topic is dealt with on a theoretical and practical scale in New Zealand.

And of course, exchanging experience with the other participants of the conference completed this picture. We had very intense discussions, but also a lot of fun – at the conference dinner and of course, at the quiz night.

The scholarship from the Land Treatment Collective, combined with the funding from the Federal Ministry of Research and Education of Germany, made it possible for me getting to know New Zealand’s perspective on my work field and bringing home some good ideas and wonderful experiences. I hope to deepen that experience after finishing my PhD.

Katharina Tondera

While that the conference Katharina presented a paper on Vertical Gravity Flow Constructed Wetlands (VGFCW) and compared this system to other vertical flow systems with storage volume on top of the filter level used for variable wastewater flows in different countries in order to show benefits and limitations of such a system.

News From the Technical Manager’s DeskIt’s time for the changing of the guard again for the LTC! I am stepping down as Technical Manager due to a career shift within Scion - some may say I’ve gone to the dark side taking on Health and Safety and joining the HR team, but it’s an area I’ve had a passion for, for some time and the right opportunity availed itself. Unfortunately my work load won’t allow me to carry on with the LTC so it’s with a certain amount of regret I have to resign.

I have met some amazing, motivated and genuine people in my time with the LTC and I am certainly going to miss the interactions I have had with both the committee and the wider membership not to mention the friends I have gathered along the way. When you look at the make-up of the organisation it’s a pretty diverse bunch – from practitioners to scientists and engineers, regulatory bodies and consultants and yet everyone is more than willing to share experiences and learnings in a very open and relaxed environment. I think is what makes the LTC work so well.

Thank you all for your support over the past few years and I look forward to updates of how well the LTC is doing.

Marie

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Annual MembershipAnnual Memberships have just been renewed so welcome back to those members returning and also to those who are new members. Membership of the LTC is designed to communicate the latest in research and findings in land treatment technology.

The Collective holds annual conferences and field tours based on a particular theme each year to provide members and conference delegates with the opportunity to meet and discuss research, engineering, legal, community and practical issues related to land treatment of waste products. These conferences provide a unique and relaxed environment where researchers, consultants and government organisations can freely mix, sharing ideas, developing contacts and providing future directions for land treatment of waste products in New Zealand.

The Collective is managed by the Technical Committee comprising a group of seven elected representatives – three of whom are Collaborators and from Scion and the others Financial Members.

Annual Levy and BenefitsMembership is $750 (excl GST) per annum with the option of $40 (excl GST) for any additional extra office members.

• Members enjoy a significant cost reduction for annual conference fees.

• Members may bring three staff from their organisation to the conference at reduced rates.

• Members have exclusive access to the annual Technical Review.

• Members are entitled to direct access to Collaborative Members for advice and enquires on land treatment issues.

• Members have exclusive access to any Collective funded research for 12 months following presentation to the Collective.

If you are interested in becoming a member please contact the Interim Technical Manager, Gillian Todd.

NZLTC Annual Conference 201616-18 March 2016, Gisborne

This year’s conference will be held in Gisborne from 16 to 18 March 2016. Planning for the LTC Conference is well underway and it is shaping up to be an exciting conference. The theme is

“Community engagement and land treatment”

and will focus on how sustainable solutions can be implemented for land based waste treatment, through community consultation and engagement with key stakeholders, policy makers and advisors.

Speakers will present on Wednesday and Thursday, 16/17 March and the field trip will be held on Friday 18 March. This year we are also giving the opportunity to register on the Tuesday night with a welcome drink and nibbles, after an optional workshop on Tuesday, 15 March.

Registrations for the conference will open on 25 November 2015.

The annual general meeting (AGM) will be held on 16 March 2016 after the first day of presentations. More details to come.

We are currently calling for abstracts. So if you would like to present an oral or poster presentation at our next annual LTC conference please submit your abstract to nzltc@scionresearch.com before 30 November 2015.

There are still sponsorship opportunities available. There are a number of different options ranging from Gold sponsor to $200 USB stick sponsor. So if you are interested in sponsoring the LTC conference, please contact nzltc@scionresearch.com for a sponsorship prospectus.

The LTC has two student sponsorships available. These are valued at $500 each. Do you know of a student that may be interested in presenting their research at the LTC Conference? In order to qualify, please send an application letter together with the abstract for an oral presentation to nzltc@scionresearch.com.

Registrations open 25 NovemberVisit nzltc.wordpress.com

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Gilliam Todd, Interim Technical ManagerScion, 49 Sala Street

Private Bag 3020, Rotorua, New ZealandTelephone: +64 7 343 5723Mobile: +64 27 489 6525

Facsimile: +64 7 348 0952Email: nzltc@scionresearch.com

https://nzltc.wordpress.com

The New Zealand Land Treatment Collective is an independent non-profit organisation managed by Scion.

Thank you to our 2015 sponsors for their support and contribution to the success of the 2015 conference.