Water cycle management
(J Boland, P Howlett, J Piantadosi and K Rosenberg)
The aim of the ARC SPIRT project is to optimise management of the
proposed water reuse system at Mawson Lakes. The system has been
designed to incorporate the capture and treatment of stormwater, the
on-site treatment of wastewater and the subsequent aquifer storage and
reuse (ASR) of this water.
The primary treatment of the stormwater is through controlled flow through a wetlands system. Early warning of gross pollutants is thus crucial to the operation of the treatment process. The stored water will be pumped out of the aquifer for irrigation and other household uses through a dual reticulation system.
Kathrine Rosenberg, PhD student, is using one hundred and fourteen years of rainfall records to generate typical rainfall patterns that will allow engineers to simulate the effects of both usual and unusual weather patterns on water supply. The simulated rainfall patterns must have the same statistical properties as the observed rainfall.
Julia Piantadosi, PhD student, is developing a mathematical model and a corresponding computer simulation to demonstrate how the overall water cycle can best be managed. It has to be ensured that the variable and uncertain arrival of stormwater in the capture dam is transformed during treatment into a regular and reliable supply of high quality reconditioned water.