royal melbourne golf club · royal melbourne golf club over 8 years of stormwater harvesting and...

STORMWATER 2018RMGC – OVER 8 YEARS OF STORMWATER HARVESTING AND TREATMENT EXPERIENCE

COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE

ROYAL MELBOURNE GOLF CLUB

OVER 8 YEARS OF STORMWATER HARVESTING AND TREATMENT EXPERIENCE

NATIONAL STORMWATER CONFERENCE 2018

PETER GORDON

KURT DAHL

SLIDE 1



OVERVIEW

► Background

- Initial solution

- Need for more

► Upgraded Treatment Solution

- Water Treatment Plant

- Stormwater Victoria Award: “Excellence in Infrastructure” - 2010

► Knowledge and Experience Journey – 8+ years of Operation

- Process changes

► Conclusions and Recommendations

SLIDE 2



BACKGROUND

SLIDE 3



ROYAL MELBOURNE GOLF CLUB

► Ranked amongst the best golf courses in the world

► Continued drought during 2007 – 08

- Criticism of using drinking water

- Water restrictions

- Negative impact of tankers (recycled water)

- Playing surfaces deteriorated substantially

- Including impact of saline bore water

► RMGC examined alternative solutions to diversify supply

- Already using groundwater, although limited availability

► Stormwater identified as preferred solution to supplement groundwater

SLIDE 4



INITIAL SOLUTION

► 2008 – initial investment in stormwater harvesting scheme

- Initial design intent: harvest 60 ML/year of stormwater

SLIDE 5

Infrastructure Purpose

Stormwater Harvesting Pipe Stormwater is harvested from a Melbourne Water stormwater pipe that runsunder the East course.

Gross Pollutant Trap Stormwater flows under gravity via a diversion chamber into the Gross PollutantTrap (GPT) to catch gross pollutants in the water greater than 3mm.

Pump Wet Well From the GPT the water flows into pump wet well, from which a set of transferpumps initially pumped the water to the new storage lagoon (see later change tothis configuration).

Accumulator Excess water from the GPT is directed to an underground 1ML accumulator thatis connected directly to the pump wet well.

Storage Lagoon The 35ML storage lagoon is designed for storage of stormwater and groundwaterand assists in buffering water supply and irrigation demand over the course of ayear.



NEED FOR MORE

► 20 ML stormwater harvested vs. 60 ML design

► Permeate Partners engaged in August 2008

- Revised project objectives

► Increased water supply

- Optimisation of stormwater/groundwater supplies

- Maximising recovery of any additional treatment

► Stormwater treatment

- Conform to National Guidelines

- Unrestricted irrigation

- Reduce / remove solids, nutrients, oil & grease

- Reduce risk of algal blooms

► Groundwater treatment

- Reduce salt levels

- Sufficient for use on all surfaces (greens + fairways)

► Maximise reuse of existing infrastructure

SLIDE 6



UPGRADED TREATMENT SOLUTION

SLIDE 7



RMGC UPGRADED FLOWSHEET

SLIDE 8

Stormwater

extraction

Stormwater Drain

Underground

accumulator

Bioretention FilterStorage

Lagoon

Ultra

FiltrationChlorination

Irrigation

storage

Reverse

Osmosis

Surface

Wetland

RO Permeate

UF

Waste

Tablet

Chlorinator

Groundwater

system

(extends across

the course)

Modified to allow low flow capture

Manage: TSS, O&G, Nutrients

New Infrastructure

Modified Infrastructure

Existing Infrastructure

Optimised to increase yield

Disinfection and pre-treatment

Practice

fairway

irrigation

RO Brine

Salt load management

Maximise water recovery

Maximise water recovery

Disinfection + residual



WATER TREATMENT PLANT

► Feed is a combination of stormwater and groundwater

- Varies at different times of the year

► UF capacity = 1.6 MLD

► RO capacity = 0.4 MLD

- Side stream treatment

► Overall plant achieves ~ 98% recovery across the year

- UF backwash recovery

- Brine irrigation

SLIDE 9



PROCESS PERFORMANCE

► Membranes commissioned in January 2010

► Stormwater Victoria Award for Excellence in Infrastructure in 2010

- Stopping here would not be the complete story

- The journey continues

► First 10 months, stable operation

- Dec/Jan increased level of fouling

- Combination of reversible and irreversible fouling

- Repeatable trend

- pH fluctuations

- Membrane integrity not compromised

SLIDE 10

PE

RM

EA

BIL

ITY

TIME

Summer Periods



KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE JOURNEY

SLIDE 11



► Feed source – 38 ML dam: Key observations in summer

- Noticeable algae formation

- Increase in feed water pH

- Increase in feed water turbidity

- Regular strainer blockage (slime, NOM and living organisms)

- RO biological fouling (confirmed with membrane replacement)

EARLY CONCLUSIONS (BUT NOT THE END )

SLIDE 12

► Everything pointed towards UF membrane organic based fouling

► Changes implemented:

- Coagulant dose (ACH based)

- Shock biocide dosing

- Cleaning trials with speciality cleaners



► Year 8, time to replace the membranes

- Overall deterioration in permeability, potentially impacting capacity

► Membrane selection process

► Need more Knowledge (field experience)

- Otherwise more of the same

► Independent Membrane autopsy and cleaning study

- Membrane360

- Initial focus was to identify best cleaning method to maintain permeability

- Identify foulant to identify best cleaning approach

BUT…….THERE WAS A SURPRISE

WHAT DO WE DO NOW….SLIDE 13



► No obvious fouling, discolouration or solid build-up

AUTOPSY OUTCOME

SLIDE 14



► SEM Images identified extensive scaling (membrane surface)

AUTOPSY OUTCOME

SLIDE 15



MORE IMAGESSLIDE 16

Crystalline structure on membrane

surface

Crystalline structure

inside membrane



MORE IMAGESSLIDE 17

Crystalline structure on membrane

surfaceX-section



MORE IMAGES (CHROMATIC ELEMENTAL IMAGING)SLIDE 18

CEI Image of the x-section of a more fouled fibre

CEI Image of the inside of a fibre (permeate side)

→→



MORE IMAGESSLIDE 19

CEI Image of the x-section of a more fouled fibre

CEI Image of feed side of a more fouled fibre

→→



PROCESS CHANGES

SLIDE 20



► Main cause of fouling

- Calcium Carbonate (primary)

- Aluminium (secondary, although more distributed)

- Very little organic fouling

► Cleaning study indicated fouling is irreversible, however proved the following:

- Low pH cleaning to be below 2.5 (above 2!)

- Maximise high pH clean

- Boost clean with a high pH speciality cleaner recommended

- Provided best performance recovery

- High cost / low frequency

AUTOPSY CONCLUSIONS

SLIDE 21



PROCESS CHANGES (SUMMARY)SLIDE 22

Observation Cause Process Changes

Calcium Carbonate

scaling

• High feed pH decreasing

solubility, especially during

summer.

• Insufficient pH reduction

during acid chemical clean to

adequately remove the scale

on the membrane surface.

• Feed water composition.

• Feed pH control introduced (sulphuric acid),

with a PID acid dosing loop to control to a

setpoint to increase calcium carbonate

solubility at the lower pH.

• Optimised low pH membrane cleaning

procedure with the inclusion of a pH control

step to maximise removal of carbonate scale.

• Changed the source water for the chemical

clean to rather use RO permeate (reduce risk

of scale formation during high pH clean).

Aluminium scaling • High feed pH, higher Al

solubility, reducing

effectiveness of coagulation

process.

• Inadequate coagulant dose

control.

• Feed pH control (same as above) to ensure

coagulant process operates within optimum

pH range.

• Optimised high pH membrane cleaning

procedure with the inclusion of a pH control

step to maximise removal of Al scale.

• More regular jar testing to optimise coagulant

dose control along with linking dose control to

feed turbidity.

Irreversible fouling • Hardened scale. • Introduction of planned membrane cleans

using speciality membrane cleaners to target

Al and Carbonate (Boost clean).



OTHER PROCESS CHANGES

SLIDE 23

► To maximise benefits additional storage was required

- Additional storage added to the scheme

- Allowed more flexibility in stormwater and groundwater harvesting

- Stormwater needs storage……..

► pH correction

- Treated water pH correction to reduce impact of alkalinity on soil and turf health

- Control of feed pH to optimise coagulation process performance



► System has operated successfully

- Project objectives achieved

- Treated water quality objectives exceeded

- All available water used for irrigation

► +350 ML of stormwater treated

► Process optimisation and troubleshooting been fundamental in ensuring ongoing success (not just stopping at the award)

► Performance and sharing of results provides a good basis into the future as a template for future stormwater treatment facilities, providing design, operation and maintenance experience for stormwater harvesting.

► Indirect potable re-use testing????

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION

SLIDE 24

What if….we had done the membrane autopsy

earlier….



► Royal Melbourne Golf Club, in particular:

- Alan Evans – driving the project from the beginning

- Richard Forsyth – course Superintendent

- Club support and operations staff (no formal WTP operations training/experience)

“For their continuing support of the project and the value they have placed on following industry best practices and reducing their reliance on potable water”

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

SLIDE 25



QUESTIONS?

SLIDE 26

royal melbourne golf club · royal melbourne golf club over 8 years of stormwater harvesting and...

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