Technology Group
ABN 400 11 81 81 79
08 9379 9479
08 9379 9489 (Fax)
columbus1 @ iinet.net.au
Monday May 5 2002
Ten Thompson Road
Success Hill 6054
Australia
Senate Submission
Urban Water Management
Donald Yates / CEO of the Columbus Group
BAppSc BCommEng CertRenewEngy
The urban water systems are integrated networks of
(1) sources of water and energy and (2) waste sinks.
The practical management application tools that control the water systems have to
proliferate like computers, from a handful of big expensive main frames to millions of
low cost PC’s. The urban water management systems have to expand in number and
greatly reduce in cost to install and maintain.
Energy considerations
The potential energy from stored water in dams and the kinetic energy in water flow
in the pipe network should be better utilised for community energy applications like
street lighting and even low power radio networks for cheap phone / broadband email /
remote utilities metering uses.
The bio-energy extraction from sewer systems are already happening. Low cost energy
extraction from the heat in waste shower and washing machine water should also be
considered. Heat exchangers that transfer energy from waste water runoff to input hot
water pipes, to ‘recycle’ energy, should be part of the new low cost domestic plumbing
technology package.
Taxation incentives to encourage multiple developments may be the ‘least cost’ way of
promoting these technologies on personal, small business & local government levels.
Storm water waste sinks
Storm water management should focus at source in 3 ways, porous surface treatments,
street cleaning and storm water pit waste collection systems.
The profusion of hard pavements in domestic properties, road verges and shopping
centre car parks limit distributed water entry into the many artesian basins. With greatly
reduced sub-terrain water entry, the increased water run off requires more storm water
pipe and channel systems to control the bigger water flows.
Low cost technologies using recycled material can create “firm” surface treatments that
do not require water (ie they replace lawns etc), yet stabilise the surface, attract kids to
play on it, and can absorb and hold wastes like dripping oil from parked cars so such
impurities do not pollute the water table.
Increased street cleaning systems can be by the expansion of road sweeping truck
services. However, street cleaning can be as simple as providing more bins. A small
project of providing rubbish and recycle bins, (Success Hill Railway Station, Perth,
2002), has demonstrated that nearby street waste is now virtually nil, the general
public can and does distinguish between rubbish and recycle materials, the provision of
‘doggy bags’ has reduced animal droppings and more people pass by the bins because
of the bins and ‘doggy bags’, increasing community security. The lack of waste has
hopefully improved water run off quality.
Community Waste & Recycle Bins
Success Hill Station, Perth.
Graphics help educate bin users
as to which bin to use.
Positioning of the bins in the shade
reduces the effect of the sun on the
bins and their contents.
The bin colour schemes match
local bin colours in use. A national
standard for bin colours and uses
would be helpful.
Storm water pits also require attention. Separation, classification and retrieval of waste
from storm water run off at the storm water pit can be cheap, reduce storm water pipe
blockages, reduce flooding and improve surrounding road safety. The technology
known as Stormbin™ addresses these issues very effectively. It can eliminate the
capital costs of major storm water treatment facilities.
Typically, storm water pits are cleaned out as the need arises, with an expensive
vacuum truck rubbish removal once every couple of years. The suggested Stormbin™
technology can be serviced 4 times every year at a lower cost.
Stormbin™ Systems ...
Street level solutions
Stormbin™ Systems can remove the
indicative range of street wastes from
storm water before the water run off
enters the storm water system.
It makes it easier to reuse the storm
water for other purposes.
The installation of Stormbin™ can be
undertaken on a needs basis without
major financial commitment and
planning delays typically imposed on
capital works programs.