water corp media statement
WATER CORPORATION
MEDIA STATEMENT
Desalination plant operating on reduced capacity
The Water Corporation has reduced the daily output of the Perth Seawater Desalination Plant to one sixth of its capacity because of low dissolved oxygen levels at the bottom of Cockburn Sound.
Manager Environment, David Luketina said today the Corporation has taken this action to comply with its operating licence for the plant which requires daily throughput to be reduced if dissolved oxygen levels reach a certain trigger point.
Dr Luketina said historically the dissolved oxygen levels in Cockburn Sound naturally dropped to relatively low levels during very light winds in autumn. The conservative trigger levels in the operating licence aim to ensure that any potential detrimental impact from the plant would be avoided. However, even the naturally occurring dissolved oxygen levels measured prior to the plant commencing operation in November 2006 could not meet the licence requirements.
“The Corporation has provided considerable evidence that low oxygen levels do not occur because of the discharge of seawater concentrate from the desalination plant,” he said. “We are therefore disappointed that we have had to reduce production to comply with our current licence.
“Once the dissolved oxygen levels return to above the trigger point we will immediately boost production to normal daily capacity of about 130 megalitres.
“We believe this is likely sometime over the weekend.”
Dr Luketina said the Corporation had submitted a 557-page submission to the Environmental Protection Authority requesting that the trigger levels for dissolved oxygen levels be removed because extensive modelling, monitoring and independent research over the past year had demonstrated that the operations of the desalination plant did not affect dissolved oxygen levels in the Sound. The research was undertaken by the Centre for Water Research at the University of WA.
The public submission period for comments on the Corporation’s proposal that the trigger levels for reducing production at the plant be removed closed on 14 April. The Corporation will respond to all comments.
It was expected that the EPA will decide on the Corporation’s request later this year.
Dreamweaver
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Date Joined: 01/12/07
Hang On!
Hang On! :
Manager Environment, David Luketina said today the Corporation has taken this action to comply with its operating licence for the plant which requires daily throughput to be reduced if dissolved oxygen levels reach a certain trigger point.
and
“The Corporation has provided considerable evidence that low oxygen levels do not occur because of the discharge of seawater concentrate from the desalination plant,” he said. “We are therefore disappointed that we have had to reduce production to comply with our current licence.
Sounds like somebody wanting to eat the cake and have it to.
So the issue here is the compliance content/basis within the licence agreement vs 'considerable evidence'. Presumably the Water Corp signed the licence agreement, with this/these conditions?
edit: It would be interesting to see how dependent the WC is on the desal plant as oppossed to alternative water resources. If the dpendency is/likely to increase to a susbstantial level, then surely the issue of the need (right?) for reduced production vs evidence?
Colin
Soon to be de "dreamweaver" ed!