East Gippsland Water’s storage basin at Omeo is being used to trial an innovative water storage cover, comprising thousands of hexagonal-shaped blocks that link together.
The surface of the basin, which holds ten million litres of water (equivalent to ten Olympic size swimming pools) has been covered with around 108,000 hexagonal blocks – each 23cm wide and weighing 250g – designed to effectively screen and protect the water from the elements.
East Gippsland Water’s Managing Director, Bruce Hammond, said, “By blocking out sunlight the aim is to cut the potential for any algal and airborne contamination of the water, while also cutting evaporation.
“If the Omeo trial proves successful and cost-effective, this technology could be rolled out across other East Gippsland Water basins. Importantly the blocks we are trialing are made of recycled material and are said to be 100 per cent recyclable at the end of their lifespan.”
The trial is expected to run until mid-2018.
