COM: Port Stanvac Desalination Plant | 100gL | $1.8b

[stelaras]

aroona has a capacity of about 75000ML, it was built in 1955.

There are a few creeks that flow into it and that's the primary way that the dam is filled. Also, water is recycled and stored in an adjacent catchement area that is separate from the dam. That recycled water is then filtered and piped into the aroona dam where it supplies the water the leigh creek etc.

I don't have any values to give as to what the percentage flow rate is.

[urban]

Thanks Stelaras that's a good multi-faceted approach to water.

[Bulldozer]

aroona has a capacity of about 75000ML

75 gig!? That means it's by far the largest reservoir in SA - Mt Bold is 46 gigs and South Para is 45. Surely there's an extra order of magnitude in there?

TIP: Aroona Dam is easy to miss if you don't know about it as it's not very well signposted. Definitely worth a visit though if you're going past. If it's a still day, give a cooee towards the cliffs on the other side of the spillway for a nifty surprise.

[EvilTwin]

The capacity of Aroona is more like 5000ML.. according to this link anyway

http://www.users.on.net/~beat/Aroona.PDF

[stelaras]

aroona has a capacity of about 75000ML

75 gig!? That means it's by far the largest reservoir in SA - Mt Bold is 46 gigs and South Para is 45. Surely there's an extra order of magnitude in there?

Guys according to this link http://www.sofweb.vic.edu.au/rdsip/pdfs/FarNorP1.pdf the capacity of Aroona Dam is 75000ML, they go on to say that due to silting the capacity is 1/3 that so that makes it 25000ML. I guess if you account for evaporation and seepage the actuall capacity might be around 5000ML

Im trying to find an accurate source to confirm this

[rhino]

I haven't got time to look right now, but I suspect the SAWater site might have information on the capacity of the reservoirs they built. That is assuming that SAWater (or rather, the old E&WS Department) built Aroona Dam.

[stelaras]

I haven't got time to look right now, but I suspect the SAWater site might have information on the capacity of the reservoirs they built. That is assuming that SAWater (or rather, the old E&WS Department) built Aroona Dam.

already checked there rhino, they dont look after it and never did. I suspect that this was built and maintained by the mining companies

[stelaras]

just checking the reservoir capacities for Adelaides supply from the SA Water sight

MT Bold: 45900MegaLitres (45.9 GL)
Happy Valley 11600ML (11.6GL)
Myponga 26800ML (26.8 GL)
MIllbrook 16500ML (16.5GL)
Kangaroo Creek 19000ML (19.0GL)
Hope Valley 2760ML (2.7GL)
Little Para 8969ML (8.969GL)
South Para 44800ML (44.8GL)
Barossa 4510ML (4.510 GL)
Warren 4770ML (4.770GL)

SO it is quite plausible that the Aroona Dam could hold 75000ML (75.0GL) especially if there is a portion of that water that is used for industrial purposes!

[Norman]

From AdelaideNow: http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/stor ... 01,00.html

THE State Government is to build a desalination plant to solve Adelaide's water crisis and is asking for hundreds of millions in federal funding.

AdelelaideNow will put your questions on water restrictions to the Premier. We will select the key points and submit them to Mr Rann.

The Premier has agreed to personally reply to people who leave their names and addresses. Please keep the questions clean, and to the point.

To submit a question, please click here - and remember only questions with name and address will be submitted.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------State Cabinet approval for the plant is expected within weeks. Water Security Minister Karlene Maywald has told The Advertiser a report to her by the State Government's Desalination Working Group will form the basis of a submission seeking the federal funding for the new facility.

The plant, to help serve the city's annual water needs, has been estimated to cost more than $1 billion and will add between $300 and $600 a year to household water bills.

"The reason why we've got a working group working as hard as we have at the moment on all the details is to actually go to the Commonwealth to seek money," Mrs Maywald said.

"We have to have a project that is fully developed, with answers to a whole range of questions."

Federal Water Resources Minister Malcolm Turnbull had urged the State Government to present a proposal for a desalination plant so he could consider helping to fund its construction.

He told The Advertiser this week a desalination plant for Adelaide was "urgently needed" to help the city reduce its reliance on the ailing River Murray.

The Murray Darling Basin Commission this week warned Adelaide faced ongoing water restrictions and Ms Maywald predicted a total ban on garden watering.

Mrs Maywald said the main issues to be addressed before any submission was put to the Federal Government included a location, possible environmental problems and how it would be powered.

The working group has identified possible sites at Port Stanvac or at Pelican Point on Le Fevre Peninsula.

Mrs Maywald declined to be drawn on the report's contents, saying she did not want to pre-empt it before taking it to State Cabinet within the next two months.

Cabinet is yet to sign off on the project but she said it could be built quickly once approved, saying: "If you look at Perth, they've built a plant very quickly, they had a site they could go with and now they're looking at having to double the size of that but they can't extend on the current site, they have significant environmental issues where they're putting the brine out to and there's a whole range of things they would've done differently had they had their time over again.

"We're looking at all of those issues. We've got some serious issues with the confines of the gulf - we're not on the open ocean, we've got some serious issues there to work our way through.

"I believe it is responsible of the Government to do the necessary legwork. We've committed in the Budget funding to do the environmental study, which requires us to take 12 months of baseline data before we can start to assess what the brine factor might be."

The State Opposition has promised, if it wins power in 2010, to build a 45 gigalitre desalination plant to provide 22 per cent of Adelaide's water needs.

Liberal Leader Martin Hamilton-Smith yesterday said without a desalination plant, South Australians "could look forward to a dust-bowl".

"SA should be building the desalination plant now. Mr Rann needs to start building the infrastructure everyone is calling on and he needs to do it with great urgency."

at the Adelelaide

[Cruise]

how big a plant do you get for 1 billion?

The State Opposition has promised, if it wins power in 2010, to build a 45 gigalitre desalination plant to provide 22 per cent of Adelaide's water needs.

is it this big?

The working group has identified possible sites at Port Stanvac or at Pelican Point on Le Fevre Peninsula.

id be curious to where on the lefevre penisula they are referring to.

[skyliner]

AS to size, I gather the Roxby Downs proposal for a plant worth $700m made the desal plant the second biggest in the southern hemisphere. At over $1bn, Adelaide plant is sure VERY big - and needed - and long overdue, Other sulutions will augment this for sure - and should.

As I said on the other thread about desal (under infrastructure and transport), this is the ONLY extensive drought resistant reliable water option we have - and that ww need it NOW. Some one said to put it at Pt Stanvac - I agree - send the brine to the salt pans to evaporate and sell the salt to pay for the plant.! Some merit exists here however in dealing with excessive salt in the gulf.

I see on another thread under infrastructure and transport, that we are to gain two new power stations as well - will be needed to drive the desal without any power outages in the city. A pity they are thermal however.All up - about $2bn in cods - that will strain the place somewhat - no wonder federal assistance is being sought.

ADELAIDE - NO BETTER PLACE TO ME.

[Bulldozer]

As unreliable as webpolls are, did you see the results for AdelaideNow's poll on how Rannaway has handled the water crisis? When I saw it, it was over 2000 replies with 80-90% choosing the last three options: Incompetent, Lacks vision & planning, I'm furious.

They've only announced this because of the shitstorm that's been kicked up over the last couple of weeks and realise people are pissed and they're not getting back into government.

Why will they be seeking federal assistance when they've gouged more than the proposed cost from SA Water and taxpayers with that Save The Murray Levy? Over $1 billion ripped from SA Water since Rannaway came to power. I shudder to think how many hundreds of millions have been put away from the levy. Surely if they have been as responsible with money as they claim then the state should be able to fund this all without any federal help?

Nope, too little too late.

[Bulldozer]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007 ... 027543.htm

Govt denies decision on desal plant

The South Australian Government says it is yet to decide whether a desalination plant will be built to supply Adelaide with drinking water.

A working group has spent the past six months examining the feasibility of a desalination plant, which has been suggested for either Port Stanvac or Pelican Point.

Reports in today's Advertiser say the desalination plant will be built and the State Government will lobby Canberra for federal funding.

But Water Securities Minister Karlene Maywald says the Government will not discuss the desalination issue until the working group hands down its findings next month and no decisions have been made.

"No definitely not, I would not pre-empt the findings of the report," she said.

"The working group is doing an extensive body of work and their findings will be considered by Cabinet in due course."

[Pistol]

So yet another quality report by the Advertiser... Well done guys.

[Shuz]

Just reading it seemed too good to be true. I didnt for the slightest bit believe that the Goverment 'suddenly' decided to go desal. And even if they did, they have the money - whats with the federal inclusion?