Letter from Community Member 1 to CLG
Question: What limitations to public access ore/will be in place in the surrounds of the plant,
both during construction and it's operation (including the coastal area - dunes and beach, and
the sea?)?
Please be precise on the extent/location/duration of exclusion zones.
Community member 1
Letter to Community Member 1 from Thiess Degremont Joint Venture
17 June 2010
Subject: Victorian Desalination Project - Response to CLG Questions
This is in response to the following question tabled on your behalf at the Community Liaison Group
(CLG) meeting held 27 May 2010.
Question: What limitations to public access are/will be in place in the surrounds of the plant, both
during construction and it's operation (including the coastal area - dunes and beach, and the sea?)?
Please be precise on the extent/location/duration of exclusion zones.
Answer: Thiess Degremont is the design and construction contractor for the project and we have
been asked to provide a response to your question.
During construction, public access to the desalination plant site is not permitted without
permission, for safety reasons. The dunes and Williamsons Beach remain open for public enjoyment.
We do, however,ask that members of the public avoid accessing the dunes during the months of
August
and February, when Hooded Plovers are nesting.With regard to the waters off Williamsons Beach,
construction of the marine intake andoutlet structures will be carried out from an offshore work
platform known as a jack-upbarge.
As required by Marine Safety Victoria, a marine exclusion zone will apply around the jack
up barge at all times. This is simply to ensure the safety of the public out enjoying the
water and the crew on board the jack-up barge.Details about the extent and location of the marine
exclusion zone are currently beingdiscussed with Marine Safety Victoria and will be communicated
to the community whenthey have been finalised.
The jack-up barge is scheduled to arrive later this year, weather permitting, and will be in place for
around a year until construction is complete. It will then be towed away and themarine exclusion
zone for construction will no longer apply.
The scope of the Victorian Desalination Project includes a 224 hectare coastal park, which will
surround the desalination plant. The park will be largest ecological restoration project of its kind
ever undertaken in Victoria, complete with constructed dunes, new wetlands, coastal and swampy
woodlands and new habitat for local fauna. It will also feature more than 8km of new pedestrian,
cycling and horse riding trails. During operation of the plant, public access will be freely available to
the coastal park and trails. Again, the dunes and Williamsons Beach will remain open at all times –
they do not form part of the desalination plant site.
Requirements for marine exclusion zones around the intake and outlet structures during operations
have not yet been confirmed.
I trust this information has been of assistance.
Yours sincerely
Greg Miller
Project Director
Victorian Desalination Project
Thiess Degremont Joint Venture
Letter from Community Member 2 to CLG
Question: Why is AquaSure inviting primary school children, eg. lnverloch Primary School to
attend information sessions at the AquaSure office? This will surely provide a very 'one sided'
picture of this destructive environmentally I socially project and unnecessary!
Community Member 2
Letter to Community Member 2 from Thiess Degremont Joint Venture
17 June 2010
Subject: Victorian Desalination Project - Response to CLG Question
This is in response to the following question tabled on your behalf at the Community Liaison Group
(CLG) meeting held 27 May 2010.
Question: Why is AquaSure inviting primary school children, eg. lnverloch Primary School to attend
information sessions at the AquaSure office? This will surely provide a very 'one sided'
picture of this destructive environmentally I socially project and unnecessary!
Answer: Thiess Degremont is the design and construction contractor for the project and we have
been asked to provide a response to your question. We extend a welcome invitation to all members
of the community, including school groups, to visit our Community Information Centre at any time.
Our team presents objective, fact-based information and all information about the environmental
and social impacts of the project is available at the Centre or as downloads from our website.
I trust this information has been of assistance.
Yours sincerely
Greg Miller
Project Director
Victorian Desalination Project
Thiess Oegremont Joint Venture
Letter from Community Member 3 to CLG
Question: Please outline your KIP (or whatever you call them) relating to community liaison
and measure of community engagement including donations, sponsorships etc to community
groups and organisations.
Community member 3
Letter from AquaSure to Community Member 3
17 June 2010
Victorian Desalination Project - Community KPls
Further to your recent query, our Key Performance Indicators relating to community
involvement are as follows:
Informed local community
Current and accurate
communication is provided toall community
Stakeholders have a firm sense of being engaged and heard in the consultation process
The Victorian public and, in particular, the local community are well informed about the Project
and its benefits All forms of communications are current and accurate, and readily available to
interested stakeholders
Effective relationships are built with all stakeholders
Negative feedback minimised Dissatisfaction with the communication process, stakeholder
engagement process or dissent with the Project overall is minimised
We plan to be an important part of Wonthaggi's community for the next 30 years - employer,
tourism operator, customer and proud citizen - and we aim to be a responsible and active member
of the community.
We are and will do this through a variety of ways including:
• Maintaining our partnership with the Bass Coast Community Foundation to help deliver local
benefits long into the future through community-led improvement projects and development
• Development of a public coastal park at the Victorian Desalination Project site including a network
of paths and tracks for cyclists, pedestrians, horse riders and the general community, providing
valuable missing links to Victoria's system of tracks and trails. It also provides for reconstructed
wetlands to deal with stormwater, improve runoff to the mouth of the Powlett River and deliver
improved and increased habitat for local flora and fauna.
• Creating a local Centre of Excellence that will provide a base for a network connecting more than
270 scientific organisations all around the world, 400 international researchers and experts, over 200
analysis laboratories and five international Research and Design centres in France, North America,
Switzerland and China, and which will put Australia and the town of Wonthaggi on the international
R&D stage for water technology.
• Support local communities impacted by the plant, transfer pipeline and power supply through a
sponsorship program that supports environmental, social, recreational, well-being, charitable and
cultural initiatives.
Yours sincerely
Chris Herbert
Chief Executive Officer
AquaSure Pty ltd
Letter from Community Member 4 to CLG
Question: Are you going to dry your waste at the Wonthaggi Desai Plant, before it is
transported to Lyndhurst Land Fill Tip or to even a new facility in the Bass Coast Shire. 15,000
to 40,000 tons of liquid waste is estimated to be involved. Class C waste should be stored
above ground according to the City of Greater Dandenong people (lady speaker at the Desai
Information Meeting at Wonthaggi Town Hall on 22105) AquaSure do not pollute our shire and
kill or sea life and sea.
Community member 4
Letter from AquaSure to Community member 4
17 June 2010
Victorian Desalination Project - Waste
Further to your recent question regarding the above, during the desalination process, screening and
pre-treatment of sea water will result in an amount of pre-treatment waste, including dissolved salts
and organics, and small and large solids such as vegetation, sediment and micro-organisms. Ferric
sulfate - a common coagulant used in water treatment facilities around Australia and throughout the
world - will be used in the pre-treatment process to make particles in water flock together so that
they can be filtered out. The resulting residue will be a non-toxic substance which, if it weren't for
the salt content, could be reused as an additive for soil remediation. However, because of its salt
content, it currently has no reuse and will be disposed of at a landfill that is appropriately licensed,
based on final classification by the EPA ..
In Australia, there are currently three large desalination plants in Perth, Gold Coast and Sydney. All
have similar operating systems to the Wonthaggi plant. The resulting waste is generally classified for
disposal to land fill, meaning it is disposed of in the same place as your kitchen scraps.
The amount of waste produced by the project, if operated at full capacity, will be about 4 to 8 dry
tonnes per day, which equates to around 20 to 40 wet tonnes per day or around 2-3 standard
garbage trucks per day.
This was assessed as part of the Environment Effects Statement (EES) for the project, which
indicated about 23 to 63 wet tonnes per day. Our process plant design has minimised this quantity
to the lower bound range outlined in the EES.
Yours sincerely
Chris Herbert
Chief Executive Officer
AquaSure Pty Ltd
Letter from Community Member 5 to CLG
Question: There are some 7 600 desalination plants throughout the world. There would be
ample information on waste generated by the plant Please tell me the wastes that will be
generated by the desalination plant and what quantities.
Community member 5
Letter from AquaSure to Community Member 5
17 June 2010
Victorian Desalination Project - Waste
Further to your recent enquiry about waste from the desalination plant. During the desalination
process, screening and pre-treatment of sea water will result in an amount of pre-treatment waste,
including dissolved salts and organics, and small and large solids such as vegetation, sediment and
micro-organisms. Ferric sulfate - a common coagulant used in water treatment facilities around
Australia and throughout the world - will be used in the pre-treatment process to make particles in
water flock together so that they can be filtered out.
The resulting residue will be a non-toxic substance which, if it weren't for the salt content, could be
reused as an additive for soil remediation. However, because of its salt content, it currently has no
reuse and will be disposed of at a landfill that is appropriately licensed, based on final classification
by the EPA.
The amount of waste produced by the project, if operated at full capacity, will be about 4 to 8 dry
tonnes per day, which equates to around 20 to 40 wet tonnes per day. This was assessed as part of
the Environment Effects Statement (EES) for the project, which indicated about 23 to 63 wet tonnes
per day. Our process plant design has minimised this quantity to the lower bound range outlined in
the EES.Controls on waste disposal depend on the rules and regulations applicable in each country.
In Australia, there are currently three large desalination plants, in Perth, Gold Coast and Sydney. All
have very similar operating systems to the Wonthaggi plant. The resulting waste is generally
classified for disposal to land fill, meaning it is disposed of in the same place as your kitchen scraps.
Yours sincerely
Chris Herbert
Chief Executive Officer
AquaSure Pty Ltd
Letter from Community Member 6 to CLG
Wonthaggi desalination plant:
Question to AquaSure
I request that the following question be presented at the next meeting of the Community Liaison
Group, and a reply be sent to me in writing.
What arrangements have you made for disposing of toxic waste generated by the desal plant? Will
toxic waste go to a dump in South Gippsland?
Community member 6
Letter from AquaSure to Community Member 6
17 June 2010
Victorian Desalination Project - Waste Disposal
Further to your question regarding the arrangements for the disposal of waste from the desalination
plant I would firstly like to clarify that here will not be any toxic waste from the plant. During the
desalination process, screening and pre-treatment of sea water will result in an amount of pretreatment waste, including dissolved salts and organics, and small and large solids such as
vegetation, sediment and micro-organisms. Ferric sulfate - a common coagulant used in water
treatment facilities around Australia and throughout the world - will be used in the pre-treatment
process to make particles in water flock together so that they can be filtered out. The resulting
residue will be a non-toxic substance which, if it weren't for the salt content, could be reused as an
additive for soil remediation. However, because of its salt content, it currently has no reuse and will
be disposed of at a landfill that is appropriately licensed, based on final classification by the EPA. The
amount of waste produced by the project, if operated at full capacity, will be about 4 to 8 dry tonnes
per day, which equates to around 20 to 40 wet tonnes per day. This was assessed as part of the
Environment Effects Statement (EES) for the project, which indicated about 23 to 63 wet tonnes per
day. Our process plant design has minimised this quantity to the lower bound range outlined in the
EES.In Australia, there are currently three large desalination plants, in Perth, Gold Coast and Sydney.
All have similar operating systems to the Wonthaggi plant. The resulting waste is generally classified
for disposal to land fill, meaning it is disposed of in the same place as your kitchen scraps.
Yours sincerely
Chris Herbert
Chief Executive Officer
AquaSure Pty ltd
Letter from Community Member 7 to CLG
Question: Where is the waste from the desalination plant going to be put?
Community Member 7
Letter from AquaSure to Community Member 7
17 June 2010
Victorian Desalination Project - Waste
Further to your recent enquiry about where waste from the desalination plant would be put, it will
be disposed of at a landfill that is appropriately licensed, based on final classification by the
Environment Protection Authority. Jn Australia, there are currently three large desalination plants. in
Perth, Gold Coast and Sydney. All have very similar operating systems to the Wonthaggi plant. The
resulting waste is generally classified for disposal to land fill, meaning it is disposed of in the same
place as your kitchen scraps. There will not be any toxic waste from the desalination plant. During
the desalination process. screening and pre-treatment of sea water will result in an amount of pretreatment waste, including dissolved salts and organics, and small and large solids such as
vegetation, sediment and micro-organisms. Ferric sulfate -a common coagulant used in water
treatment facilities around Australia and throughout the world -will be used in the pre-treatment
process to make particles in water flock together so that they can be filtered out. The resulting
residue will be a non-toxic substance which, if it weren't for the salt content, could be reused as an
additive for soil remediation. However, because of its salt content, it currently has no reuse and will
be disposed of at a landfill that is appropriately licensed, based on final classification by the EPA. The
amount of waste produced by the project, if operated at full capacity, will be about 4 to 8 dry tonnes
per day, which equates to around 20 to 40 wet tonnes per day. This was assessed as part of the
Environment Effects Statement (EES) for the project, which indicated about 23 to 63 wet tonnes per
day. Our process plant design has minimised this quantity to the lower bound range outlined in the
EEA.
Yours sincerely
Chris Herbert
Chief Executive Officer
AquaSure Pty Ltd
Letter from Community Member 2 to CLG
Question: Will Mr Chris Herbert be in charge of the Desai Plant when it is operational? Does
this question explain why Mr Herbert cannot answer toxic chemical use questions?
Community Member 8
Letter from AquaSure to Community member 8
17 June 2010
Victorian Desalination Project - CEO and Chemicals
Further to your recent questions regarding the above, I am, and will remain, the CEO of AquaSure,
the company that has contracted with the Victorian Government to finance, design, build, operate
and maintain the desalination plant over a period of 30 years. In turn, AquaSure has contracted with
Degremont Thiess Services to operate the plant. AquaSure remains accountable to the Government
for the operation of the plant in compliance with the contract and performance requirements. In
Australia, there are currently three large desalination plants, in Perth, Gold Coast and Sydney. All
have very similar operating systems to the Wonthaggi plant. The resulting waste is generally
classified for disposal to land fill, meaning it is disposed of in the same place as your kitchen scraps.
The Environment Effects Statement (EES) and the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Works
Approval comprehensively outlined the chemicals used in the desalination process. These are both
available online at www.ourwater.vic.gov.au/desalination.
Ferric sulfate - a common coagulant used in water treatment facilities around Australiaand
throughout the world - will be used in the pre-treatment process to make particles in water flock
together so that they can be filtered out. The resulting residue will be a non-toxic substance which, if
it weren't for the salt content, could be reused as an additive for soil remediation. However, because
of its salt content, it currently has no reuse and will be disposed of at a landfill that is appropriately
licensed, based on final classification by the EPA Other chemicals such as fluoride will be used to
ensure that that the water is of drinking quality before it is pumped to consumers. As with other
desalination plants, chlorine will be used as necessary to help maintain the cleanliness of inlet pipe.
Its use and storage will be in accordance with regulatory requirements.
Yours sincerely
Chris Herbert
Chief Executive Officer
Various Letters from Community member 9 to CLG
25tn May, 2010
Cr Peter Paul
Bass Coast Shire Council Representative
Victorian Desalination Project Community Liaison Group
Dear Cr Paul,
I request that you ask the following question at the next meeting of the
Community Liaison Group for the Victorian Desalination Project.
"Are the following companies undertaking, or intending to undertake work for
the Victorian Desalination Project, or supplying or intending to supply
products for the VDP:
Champion Compressors Pty Ltd
Energy Process Services
Process Valves
Engineered Valves
Compression Systems
Surface Systems
Subsea Systems
Drilling & Production Systems
Measurement Systems ?"
Cr Peter Paul
Bass Coast Shire Council Representative
Victorian Desalination Project Community Liaison Group
Dear Cr Paul,
I request that you ask the following question at the next meeting of the
Community Liaison Group for the Victorian Desalination Project.
What is the extent of the involvement of Cameron International in the
Victorian Desalination Project, and are the following companies undertaking,
or intending to undertake work for the VDP, or supply products or services for
the VDP:
Ajax
Barton
BFCC.
Caldon
Cllf Mock
Cooper Bessemer
CSI
Demeo
Edge
En tech
Enterprise
Foster
General Valve
Grove
IC
Jiskoot
Joy
KCC
Krebs
Ledeen
McEvoy
Metro!
MSG
Navco
North Star
Nuflo
Nutron
Orbit
Penn
Petreco
Ring-0
Sterom
Superior
TBV
Techno
Texcentric
Texsteam
Thornhill Craver
TK
Tom Wheatley
TSI
Tundra
Turbo Air
TXT
Unicel
Valor
Vortoil
Wern co
Wheatley
Willis
WKM
HYDROMATION
DYNATORQUE
SSS
MARS
PRECISION
SBS or SOS
GUIDERSON or GUIBERSON
TOWNSEND?"
Is the consortium aware of or seeking an upgrade to Baxter’s Beach sewage outfall?
Will the water sampling log for the Victorian Desalination Project be made publically available?
What is the involvement of the Halliburton, and Halliburton companies Baroid, Easywell, Landmark,
Sperry Drilling, and WellDynamics in the Victorian Desalination Project?
Is a cement bonding log kept for the VDP or is cementing work for the project being tested through
positive and negative pressure tests?
What action is the consortium taking to ensure all employees and contractors for the VDP working
on electrical aspects of the project are compliant with the Electrical Safety (Registration and
Licencing) Regulations 2010?
Letter from Thiess Degremont Joint Venture to Community Member 9
Subject: Victorian Desalination Project - Response to CLG Questions
This is in response to a number of questions that you submitted to the Community Liaison Group
recently. The Bass Coast Community Representative, Mr Neville Goodwin, tabled these· questions on
your behalf and we have been asked to provide a response.
Question 1 Is the consortium aware of or seeking an upgrade of the Baxters Beach Sewerage Outfall?
Thiess Degremont is not aware of or planning to seek any upgrade of the Baxters Beach Sewerage
Outfall.
Question 2 Will the water sampling log for the Victorian Desalination Project be made publicly
available?
We would appreciate clarification of this question, as we are not aware of the log that you are
referring to.
Question 3
Is a cement bonding log kept for the VDP or is cementing work for the project being tested through
positive and negative pressure tests?
We are not aware of the cement bonding log that you are referring to, nor the positive and negative
pressure tests. However, I can confirm that quality testing of concreting forms a standard part of our
construction methodology on the project. An extensive range of tests are performing offsite before a
concrete mix is approved, including aggregate quality testing and chloride diffusion testing. When
the concrete arrives on site, every batch is subject to a slump test to assess strength and durability,
and compressive strength is tested by cylinders at a nominated frequency.
Question 4
Letter dated 25 May 2010 - Are the following companies undertaking, or intending to undertake
work for the Victorian Desalination Project, or supplying or intending to supply products for the
VDP? Champion Compressors Pty Ltd, Energy Process Services, Process Valves, Engineered Valves,
Compression Systems, Surface Systems, Subsea Systems, Drilling and Production Systems,
Measurement Systems. Champion Compressors Pty Ltd is not currently supplying to the Project.
Procurement for the project is ongoing, and it is not possible for us to testify which companies will or
will not have an interest in tendering to supply goods or services in the future. The remaining items
on the list included in this letter appear to be a list of products,
rather than companies.
Question 5
What action is the consortium taking to ensure all employees and contractors for the VDP working
on electrical aspects of the project are compliant with the Electrical Safety {Registration and
Licensing) Regulations 2010?
All electrical works undertaken on the project are undertaken by suitably accredited electricians and
will be subject to an inspection by the nominated Energy Safe Victoria (ESV) Electrical Inspector. This
site inspection is initiated by a 'Certificate of Electrical Safety' (COES) notice submitted to ESV by the
relevant Electrical Contractor whose workers perform the installation works.
Question 6
What is the involvement of Halliburton, and the Halliburton companies Baroid, Easywell, Landmark,
Sperry Drilling and Well Dynamics in the Victorian Desalination Project?
None of the companies listed are involved in the project.
Question 7
Letter dated 25 May 201 O - What is the extent of the involvement of Cameron International in the
Victorian Desalination Project, and are the following companies undertaking, or intending to
undertake work the VDP, or supply products or services for the VDP.
Cameron International is not currently involved in the project, nor are any of the 59
other companies listed in your letter. Again, it is not possible for us to testify which companies will
or will not have an interest in tendering to supply goods or services in the future.
Question 8
Is Council prepared for the potential onshore consequences of the arrival, for the desalination
project, of the Chinese made and Dutch registered vessels FJORD and FJELL, considering that the
draught of those vessels is greater than the depth of the reefs off Williamson's Beach, with the
possibility of a grounding of those vessels, and the possible subsequent oil and chemical spill?
This question relates to the arrival of the jack up barge, an offshore work platform that will be used
for the marine works. Moving the jack-up barge from Rotterdam to Williamsons Beach involves a
number of stages of transport. Ensuring the safety of such operations is a standard part of our
construction planning. Fjord and Fjell are both semi-submersible heavy lift ships, designed to
transport very heavy loads. One of these boats will be commissioned to transport the jack up barge
from Rotterdam to a major port in Victoria. The jack up barge will then be floated off the heavy lift
ship and towed to Wonthaggi by smaller sea vessels.
Please rest assured that Fjord and Fjell are not designed to operate in shallow waters and will not go
anywhere near Williamsons Beach and therefore there is no possibility of them becoming grounded.
We will refer your question to Bass Coast Shire Council for further comment.
Question: Will Council enquire if Cameron International machinery is being used, or is intended to be
used, at the desalination plant site, and in particular if the Metrol Chemical Dosing System (a
Cameron product) is intended to be used as the chlorine dosing system described in the Design and
Construction Environment Management Plan for the Victorian Desalination Project as, "Install
chlorine dosing pipes to intake tunnel", and will Council advise, after the Inquiry, if it is satisfied that
the construction methods for the inlet and outlet tunnels have a capability to handle a catastrophic
failure of design and construction?
Cameron International Machinery is currently not being used, nor is the Metrol Chemical Dosing
System specified for use on the project.
We will refer the second part of your question to Bass Coast Shire Council for response. However, it
may assist you to know that tunnel boring has been used on construction projects for more than 150
years and has proven to be a safe and environmentally sound method of tunnelling. For this reason,
TBMs are now used in construction projects all over the world, used to build everything from
pipelines to huge road and rail tunnels beneath cities and the ocean.
I trust these responses have been helpful.
Your: sincerely
Greg Miller
Project Director
Victorian Desalination Project
Thiess Degremont Joint Venture