Water security assured for residents of remote town

Opportunity

A water treatment plant in Linville, South-east Queensland, was forced to close after sustaining damage in the 2013 floods.

As an interim supply measure for the town’s 400-plus residents, water was delivered via tanker, which came from the nearby Kilcoy water treatment plant.

To ensure a secure, effective and more economical water supply to Linville, water authority Seqwater sought to build a new treatment plant. As the original plant was constructed in 1970, improvements to the monitoring and control system were also to be included in the project.  

Principal contractor and lead mechanical engineer, Practical Engineering, engaged SAGE Automation as the control system designer and implementer.

Solution

SAGE Automation completed the design and implementation of an integrated control solution for the new Linville Water Treatment Plant.

This included:

• Design of electrical upgrades, including switchboards and control systems for the plant
• SCADA upgrade and integration
• Onsite FAT and site commissioning
• Operator training.
  
  

Communications

Due to the remote location of the plant, mobile and broadband reception was a concern as speed and bandwidth was unreliable. SAGE Automation recommended a radio link between the plant and the town reservoir as the best solution.

SAGE Automation engineers delivered training on the new SCADA systems for Seqwater operators, who are based at Kilcoy.

The project was completed under socially distanced conditions to ensure compliance with onsite safety requirements during COVID-19.

Outcome

The Linville Water Treatment Plant was commissioned in April 2020 and is now supplying fresh drinking water to the local community.

“SAGE Automation was a valued partner in this project, drawing on their technical expertise in control systems to ensure the on-time delivery of a new water treatment plant for the Linville community.” — Vimal Soni, Director, Practical Engineering

The new plant has improved the capabilities for monitoring water quality, as well as providing increased filtration and disinfection capabilities. The Linville plant is fully automated, and has the ability to be remotely controlled from Kilcoy Water Treatment Plant.

SAGE Automation will continue to work with the end client, Seqwater, to deliver ongoing maintenance as required for the new water treatment plant.