11 September 2023
To help improve the recycled water quality at East Gippsland Water’s Bairnsdale Water Recycling Plant, an innovative system is being trialled to provide better environmental outcomes in the recycled water process.
The emerging technology from Canada, BioCord, is a biological nutrient removal process that works in a simple and efficient way using East Gippsland Water’s existing final water treatment lagoon at the Bairnsdale Water Recycling Plant.
East Gippsland Water Acting Executive Manager Service Delivery, Judd Boeker, said: “We are very excited to be trialling this new emerging technology to help improve the quality of our recycled water and to see if it can be successfully implemented at full scale.
“Even though our recycled water is compliant with our current licence conditions, these recycled water improvements are designed to ensure that we comply with the introduction of the new Environment Protection Authority (EPA) regulations relating to our General Environmental Duty (GED).”
The BioCord Reactor system is a flexible modular box containing hundreds of metres of cord that enables a biofilm to form. The bacteria then attaches itself to the biofilm, significantly improving the removal of nutrients and organics.
This small-scale trial will provide important data to help inform the many factors needed to consider implementing a full-scale installation of the BioCord system. These include costs, regulatory and environmental approvals, and ongoing maintenance.
If East Gippsland Water proceeds with the installation of the BioCord technology, it will be the first water corporation in Australia to use this fantastic system.
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