Traveston Crossing – Dam Solution

or White Elephant?

Is there an alternative that ticks all the boxes for future water security and

emissions legislation?

Graham Bates – Maroochydore QLD

Traveston Crossing – Dam Solution or White Elephant? 2009

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Version 2

Copyright © Graham Bates – October 2009

PO Box 5442

Maroochydore QLD 4558

Disclaimer: The author has produced this document in the Public Interest – without receiving any

payment or gratuity from any political, economical or social lobby-group. The author also declares

that he has recently purchased shares in ENERJI [ASX:ERJ] – but assures viewers that these shares

are a long-term investment. Research for this decision prompted me to take a much closer look at the

long-term Water Issues & Bushfire Threat Levels facing Queensland residents.

Graham Bates – Sunshine Coast – 0418 569 000

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“South East Queensland is the fastest growing region in Australia with a vibrant economy and an

increasing population. The region's population is predicted to grow to more than 5 million people by

2050. Without new water supply sources, there will be an estimated shortfall of 300,000 megalitres

per annum (ML/a) by mid century.”

Background

The Queensland Government has developed new strategic plans for managing water

resources across South-Eastern QLD, because;

1

One key commitment is for the construction of a dam across the Mary River, known

as the Traveston Crossing Dam. Specifications for this dam are available on the Qld

Water Infrastructure Pty Ltd [QWIP] website1

;

1 QLD Water Infrastructure Pty Ltd website: http://www.qldwi.com.au/Default.aspx?tabid=57

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Projected dam size – derived from the 2006 Working Draft Document – further information

about the project can be accessed via the following link;

Map of Traveston Dam Site

Source: http://www.dip.qld.gov.au/resources/map/Traveston_Dam_map_proposed.pdf

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Source:

Dam Costs

The Traveston Crossing Dam has an estimated project cost of $1.592 Billion.

http://www.sunwater.com.au/current_projects_Traveston_Wyaralong_Investigations.htm

Source:

Local Sentiment

Reports suggest that there is considerable opposition to the construction of this dam.

A Petition, signed by 5,393 citizens, was presented to the Commonwealth Parliament

by the Hon. Greg Hunt MP – Member for Flinders, Liberal Party, and Shadow

Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water.

http://www.openaustralia.org/debates/?id=2009-09-16.123.1

A) Build a new dam wall, 300 metres downstream from the existing Borumba

Dam. This proposal, presented by Mr Ron McMah, was to significantly

increase the capacity of the Borumba Dam, as follows;

“My proposal is to build a new dam wall approximately 300 metres in front of the existing

dam wall at Borumba and make it as high as possible…..high enough to obtain or get very

close to 2 million Mlgs with the addition of two small saddle dam walls.”

Source: “Borumba Dam” – Author J. V. Hodgkinson September 2009, excerpts from Mr

Ron McMah’s original 2007 submission – website link:

Alternatives to the Traveston Crossing Dam

There have been several proposals submitted about viable alternatives to this project.

http://wivenhoesomersetrainfall.com/images/Ron%20senate%20page%201%20of%204.jpg

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B) Raise the existing wall of the Wivenhoe Dam by a height of 2 metres, as per

this reference;

“The State Government had previously insisted that alternatives should be measured

against the larger Stage Two proposal, while at the same time insisting that environmental

impacts be assessed on Stage One only.”

“After conditional approval from the Queensland COG, with environmental requirements

effectively ruling out Stage Two, the Borumba dam alternative advanced by Mary Valley

grazier Ron McMah has been given a new lease on viability.”

“And coinciding with that yesterday, the Wide Bay-Burnett Conservation Council advanced

a significant “new” plan, which it claims has already been recognised as viable by the State

Government, but effectively kept under wraps.”

“Mr Currie joined with Sunshine Coast Environment Council manager Narelle Mcarthy,

Save the Mary River Co-ordinating Group president Glenda Pickersgill and secretary David

Kreutz and the Greater Mary Association's Tanzi Smith.”

“In a challenge issued yesterday afternoon, they challenged Infrastructure Minister Stirling

Hinchliffe to justify his claim that the Traveston Crossing dam is “the most cost effective

option” for South East Queensland's water security.”

“SEQ can be climate proofed for a mere $10 million,” Ms Mcarthy said, comparing

the raised dam proposal to the $1.7 billion Traveston Crossing proposal, which has already

cost taxpayers about one-third of that in preliminary land purchases.”

“We challenge Mr Hinchliffe to explain why he is pursuing a multi-billion

dollar option when the government's own Queensland Water Commission

(QWC) has identified a vastly cheaper option that provides much more water.”

“She said the new option was originally outlined in a 2007 QWC report titled 'Provision of

Contingency Storage in Wivenhoe and Somerset Dams,” which included raising

Wivenhoe dam 2m, a measure which would also improve the dam's safety.”

“The report states that this option 'provides a significant increase in storage,

228,000ML, for a relatively small capital cost.”

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Mr Garrett says he has now received the Queensland COG's report and expects to meet his

November 18 deadline.”

Source: Online version – “The Gympie Times Newspaper”, 16th October, 2009

website: http://www.gympietimes.com.au/story/2009/10/16/new-dam-alternative/

C) Other alternatives to the Traveston Crossing Dam were submitted to the

Commonwealth Government Senate. These included proposals such as…

“……transporting water from the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales to South

East Queensland and other supply alternatives such as rainwater tanks and recycled

water.”

Source: Senate Standing Committee on Rural Regional Affairs and Transport on “Options

for additional water supplies for South East Queensland” 2007. Website link:

http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/rrat_ctte/completed_inquiries/2004-

07/traveston_dam/report/c06.htm

D) One of the authors of the Review Report, Professor Stuart White, when asked if there

was a need for a new primary source of water, responded with….

“……[n]o, we do not.”

“That is a very clear conclusion of our work.”

“Not only is it not necessary it would be quite dangerous to buy, particularly at this

point, a single large source of water which is rain fed. That would not be the right

strategy.”

“It is not needed and it is quite risky.”

Source: Senate Standing Committee on Rural Regional Affairs and Transport on its

“Options for additional water supplies for South East Queensland” 2007. Website

link: http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/rrat_ctte/completed_inquiries/2004-

07/traveston_dam/report/c06.htm

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It may seem obvious – however - every proposal for meeting the needs on future

growth, in terms of population, increased demand for agricultural produce – relies

on one critical factor – sufficient rainfall.

So, will there be enough rainfall in the catchment areas to fill the proposed dam?

Current research has identified a new factor that may well suggest otherwise.

1. The MDB covers one-seventh of Australia’s land mass – over 1 million

square kilometres.

The Endless Drought

There has been much commentary about the cause/s for the recent long period of

drought across the Eastern States of Australia.

Much of this debate has centred upon the Murray-Darling Basin [MDB] river

systems, because of these vital statistics;

2. Produces 40% of our total agricultural products – from 42% of our total

arable land.

3. Generates 39% of the national income from agricultural production.*

4. It is Australia's food bowl – 70% of our irrigation takes place here.

5. It is fed by 408,000 kilometres of rivers.

Source: The Murray-Darling Basin Authority website:

http://www.mdba.gov.au/water/about_basin

Source: Australian Conservation Foundation – The Murray-Darling Basin – Facts and Figures,

website: http://www.acfonline.org.au/articles/news.asp?news_id=122

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We are all acutely aware of the crippling drought that is devastating communities

across the Basin, but, some may only ‘see it’, in terms of impacting NSW and Victoria.

The Basin, however extends from north of Roma in Queensland to Goolwa in South

Australia and includes three quarters of New South Wales and half of Victoria.

Source: The Murray-Darling Basin Commission website:

http://www.mdbc.gov.au/subs/eResource_book/index.htm

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The entire Basin subdivides into the Northern, Lachlan and the Southern sections.

As we move into a hot summer, water storages are already at low levels;

Source: Murray-Darling Basin Authority website: http://www.mdba.gov.au/water/waterinstorage

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The Northern Basin

The headwaters of this basin are in the Condamine – Ballonne River Basins of South-

East Queensland – storage levels are very low;

Source: Murray-Darling Basin Authority website:

http://www.mdba.gov.au/water/waterinstorage/northern?run-date=2009-10-21

Recent climate forecasts indicate that there is a significant risk of continuing drought in South-east Queensland’s catchment areas

.

This is caused by the same extensive weather-pattern that has put the Lower Basin

areas onto the ‘Critical List.’

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Source: –

Weather Systems

El Niño – La Niña

Weather forecasts [OCT 2009] indicate a developing El Nino Event over Australia.

“Central Pacific Ocean temperatures warmed over the past fortnight in response to weakened Trade

winds, and remain at levels typical of an El Niño event. Leading climate models suggest tropical

ocean temperatures will remain above these thresholds until at least early 2010.”

“The recent weakening of the Trades and corresponding increase in central Pacific temperatures

may result in further warming of the eastern Pacific Ocean over the coming weeks. While such

conditions are fairly typical during an El Niño event, values of the Southern Oscillation Index and

tropical cloud patterns remain inconsistent with normal El Niño conditions.”

“Despite this, rainfall patterns over eastern Australia for the past three months are broadly in

keeping with the impact of an El Niño event.”

Bureau of Meteorology website: http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/ahead/ENSO-

summary.shtml

Graph of the Southern Oscillation Index - since January, 2006.

Source: “Weatherzone Online” website:

http://www.weatherzone.com.au/climate/indicator_enso.jsp?c=soi

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This rainfall map indicates that there is approximately a 50% chance of exceeding the

average median rainfall in SE QLD areas for the period October – December 2009.

Source: Bureau of Meteorology [BOM] website:

http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/ahead/rain_ahead.shtml

Following ground-breaking research in February 2009, by a team of Australians, led

by Dr Caroline Ummenhofer and Professor Matthew England of the

Indian Ocean Dipole – The Long Dry Explained

UNSW Climate

Change Research Centre, and published in the prestigious journal Geophysical

Review Letters, it appears that the long-standing puzzle of Australia's long-term

droughts, has been solved.

Also included were researchers from the CSIRO Centre for Australian

Weather & Climate Research and the University of Tasmania.

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In her briefing to the media, Dr Ummenhofer stated,

"The ramifications of drought for this region are dire, with acute water shortages for rural and

metropolitan areas, record agricultural losses, the drying-out of two of Australia's major river

systems and far-reaching ecosystem damage."

"We have shown that the state of the Indian Ocean is highly important for rainfall and droughts in

south-east Australia.”

Then this startling revelation, as Dr Ummenhofer summarises;

“More than the variability associated with the El Nino/La Nina cycle in the Pacific Ocean, the

Indian Ocean Dipole is the key factor for driving major south-east Australian

droughts over the past 120 years

.”

Source: Online article entitled “Indian Ocean causes Big Dry: drought mystery solved," by

Bob Beale, University of NSW – Faculty of Science, dated 5th February, 2009.

http://www.science.unsw.edu.au/news/indian-ocean-drought/

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Author John D Cox, a scientific reporter for Discovery Channel, [online weblog]

writes;

“Just this month, [February 2009] while the wildfires were burning in Victoria, researchers at the

University of New South Wales declared that the critical area for drought in the southern and

western parts of the country is not the tropical Pacific or El Niño but rather the Indian Ocean to the

west and a more recently identified pattern called the Indian Ocean Dipole.”

“According to Dr. Caroline Ummenhofer and colleagues who examined 100 years of data, a

negative Dipole phase means cool ocean temperatures west of Australia, warm temperatures to the

north, and warm, moist rain-bearing winds over the continent.”

“The last 12 years of drought, the researcher say, have been dominated by a Dipole in the dry

positive phase.”

“There have been two other interesting developments along this front.”

“The panel [page 14] showing the annual rainfall deficit sustained by Australia since the mid-

1970s, illustrates [that] the signature of a changing climate has become unmistakable.”

Source: Discovery Channel Science Blog: http://blogs.discovery.com/earth/2009/02/page/2/

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Of Note:

This compelling image displays a 38 year, long-term, downtrend for rainfall across

areas along the eastern seaboard. This will raise critical issues that Queensland has

not previously encountered.

The Red zones clearly indicate that there will be no rainfall relief from

either Positive or Negative IOD events – this is ominous news for regions in

Northern NSW and South-east QLD.

The critical question now is:

Has the Traveston Dam Plan taken into account the combined effects of Pacific

Ocean El Niño – La Niña Events & the Indian Ocean Dipole Event?

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These critical issues include, but are not limited to;

1. Significant increase in bushfire & wildfire threat levels – already happening

with large bushfires in the Rockhampton & Bundaberg areas – in October!

2. Major agricultural impacts – reduction in agricultural land usage, especially

when fertile land is lost to large water storages.

3. Continued and increasing stress on water resources that will impact residents,

business and agriculture across South-East Queensland, both east and west of

the Great Dividing Range.

4. Potential constraints on regional growth and GDP.

Statement by the QLD Dept of Environment and Resource Management;

“To ensure its long-term sustainability, our tasks include promoting sustainable living and

resource use, encouraging land managers and the rural industry to take an integrated approach to

managing soil, water and vegetation, and strengthening our response to climate change.

Our key areas of responsibility are:

• water - securing the quality and supply of water • climate change - preparing for the impacts of climate change • land - managing land and vegetation (including land titling and administration of native

title) • environmental services - building resilience in natural landscapes and conserving our

natural and cultural heritage.”

Source: Qld Dept of Environment and Resource Management website:

http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/

Without a guaranteed source of water, there is a significant risk that the Queensland

State Government will be unable to meet its stated Policies.

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An ETS Friendly Alternative

Construction of a Thermal Desalination Plant – co-located at the Swanbank Power

Station near Ipswich, South-east Queensland.

Purpose: By utilising the Cogeneration Process

Source:

, capture the waste heat from the

Electrical Generation process – then use this heat for distilling seawater feedstock to

produce fresh water.

In the case of the Swanbank site -- Swanbank B temperatures reach 1,400O C –

whilst in Swanbank E, temperatures reach 651O C.

The Cogeneration Process: Best illustrated in this graphic.

CS Energy website:

http://www.csenergy.com.au/power_stations/ps_swanbank.aspx

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Recycling Waste Heat

Source:

This can best be described as the “Elephant in-the-Room” that has been ignored

for far too long.

Below is a graph that compares various energy resource usages.

This presents a lost opportunity -- failure to use this energy resource is simply

incomprehensible.

US Dept of Energy – EIA Annual Energy Survey 2006

The graph illustrates US figures. Australian figures were unavailable – however - as

an OECD member nation, there would be similarities in scale-adjusted studies.

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Additional Heat Recycling Options

A commitment to better utilise the cogeneration process would help reduce

Australia’s, and in the case of this proposal, Queensland's Carbon Footprint.

These huge untapped energy resources are already in place – no additional coal

mines need to be built – no Environmental Impact Statements need to be conducted

– everything is ready to go – yet very little is being done in Australia to harness this

precious resource.

As an example of what is being done to capture and then apply this waste energy,

one Australian Listed Public Company – ENERJI – is about to roll-out a new

recycling energy product across Australasia – these products are known as

‘Powerboxes’.

This graphic best illustrates the benefits of this process;

Source: Enerji website: http://www.enerji.com.au/

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Cogeneration – also known as Combined Heat & Power [CHP] – is becoming widely

used across the globe – unfortunately Australia is significantly behind in utilising

this process for maximising the efficient use of our energy resources.

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Cost Comparisons

The graph below represents the cost breakdown of a Reverse Osmosis [RO]

Desalination Plant.

Source: USBR & SNL 2003: Extract from a document entitled “Desalination with a Grain of

Salt” by Heather Cooley, Peter H. Gleick, and Gary Wolff – The Pacific Institute for Studies in

Development, Environment and Security, June 2006 website, page 41:

http://www.pacinst.org/reports/desalination/desalination_report.pdf

The major wild-card in operational costs for Reverse Osmosis [RO] Facilities will

stem from future costs of securing this energy, required to ‘drive’ the desalination

process.

The introduction of an Emissions Trading Scheme [ETS] will increase the costs for

building & using Coal-fired Power Stations, to drive the RO process.

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As an example, the huge Reverse Osmosis Desalination Plant planned for Victoria

will require its very own power station, as per this statement by the Minister for

Water,

“The 150 GL plant is estimated to require a continuous supply of 90 MW of power. The Feasibility

Study completed for Melbourne Water by GHD estimates that the 150 GL plant will require 800

GWh per year of electricity which includes water pumping.”

Source: A Discussion Paper entitled, “Powering a desalination plant: clean energy or more coal?” Environment Victoria website: http://www.envict.org.au/file/file/Powering%20a%20desalination%20plant.pdf

Whilst the price of Oil and in particular, Gas is currently low, these costs could, in the

not-too-distant future, ‘blow-out’ to prohibitive levels.

Cost breakdown of a typical Very Large Thermal Desalination Plant, graph below;

Source: Wangnick 2002: Extract from a document entitled “Desalination with a Grain of Salt”

by Heather Cooley, Peter H. Gleick, and Gary Wolff – The Pacific Institute for Studies in

Development, Environment and Security – June 2006 - website, page 42:

http://www.pacinst.org/reports/desalination/desalination_report.pdf

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The costs to operate a Thermal Energy Plant are significantly reduced when waste

heat is sourced from Power Station operations.

This is another factor that makes Thermal Desalination an attractive option.

Pipelines + Pumping Stations

Lagoon Island was chosen for the saltwater feedstock intake, as it is closest to the

sea.

Integration of infrastructure into existing easements will further reduce costs of land

acquisition/s.

– Infrastructure will be required to connect the

Seawater feedstock inflows [Lagoon Island] --> Desalination Plant [Swanbank]

--> Wivenhoe Lake.

Lagoon Island to Swanbank – approximately 64 kms – courtesy of Google Maps.

The Desalination Plant – co-located with the power station – desalts the seawater

using the captured heat from the electrical generation process.

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Rather than pump the brine back to the sea, another process -- also utilising waste

heat -- is used to extract the salt. See page 22 for details.

Significant bonus -- there is absolutely no contamination of our coastal waters

by pumping brine waste product back into the ocean, after the desalting process.

There are 14,000 recorded uses for salt.

The Salt Tree – and its many uses.

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Source: How to Produce White Salt – website: http://www.saltsense.co.uk/aboutsalt-prod02.htm

As a high quality product, salt can be readily be used in the manufacture of

Intravenous Drip Saline Solutions for the healthcare market or any other market that

requires high purity salt.

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Potable Water – Pipeline to Wivenhoe Lake

Additional Works

1. Wivenhoe Dam -- Adding a further 2 metres to the current wall will increase

storage capacity, reduce the overall costs and satisfy environmental concerns about

the Traveston Crossing site.

2. Borumba Dam – Construction of a new wall at the site identified by Mr Ron

McMah in his submission. Water infrastructure enabling interconnections between

Lake Wivenhoe – Borumba Dam should also further enhance water security for this

region well into the future.

3. Whilst this is the final step in this current proposal, there are further options

for utilising this guaranteed source of water to assist in reforestation, erosion control

and land management, as listed overleaf.

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“Whilst Peter has been on virtually every Current Affair show over the last few years, none had the

impact that his 4 episodes of Australian Story had. It shows the wonderful work he has done for

many years in his Tarwyn Park property at Bylong NSW and the more recent transformation he

has given Gerry Harvey's stud 'Baramul', in the Widden Valley.”

Future Developments

Further options include extending the pipeline westward - to supply those cities,

towns and communities in the Darling Downs area.

Plan

Build additional pipeline network that extends from Lake Wivenhoe to the East –

West watershed. Water is then fed into creeks to boost water supplies for those

communities in the Gatton & Toowoomba areas.

Aim

Source: Natural Sequence Farming website: http://www.naturalsequencefarming.com/

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Author’s Note

Recommended: Arrange a meeting with Peter Andrews.

Peter has been developing methods for land conservation and rehabilitation for

the past 30 years.

He has published 2 books on the subject of Natural Sequence Farming.

Featured on ABC TV’s “Australian Story” - Peter’s methods have been

instrumental in turning eroded wastelands into verdant, drought-proofed and

productive farmlands.

Should the QLD Government approach Peter and his team, I am sure that he

would be more than happy to provide input to the NSF Process.

When Lake Wivenhoe reaches full capacity, additional water can be used, as per

Peter’s techniques, to transform eroded landscapes into greenbelt refuges – saving

native fauna, and enhancing natural barriers to stop the spread of wildfires.

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An article in the Sydney Morning Herald – Online website, clearly shows the

gaining momentum for Natural Sequence Farming techniques;

Source: An article by Paul Myers entitled “Push for Maverick Techniques to Restore

Landscape”, dated 12th September, 2009, smh.com.au website:

http://www.smh.com.au/national/push-for-maverick-techniques-to-restore-landscape-20090911-

fkqi.html

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Most of these plants have been built in the Middle East where energy reserves are

plentiful.

The main problem with these plants is high construction, materials & operating

costs.

The ‘flash’ chambers require the best quality stainless steel in tubes and

chambers

Types of Desalination Plants

There are several types of desalination plants. The major ones include:

Multi-stage Flash Distillation (MSF)

A thermal process – seawater is first heated under high pressure before being fed

into the 1st ‘flash’ chamber, where rapid pressure-release causes the seawater to

quickly boil.

This ‘flashing’ process evaporates some of the seawater, and the process continues

through more ‘flash chambers’, each with a step-down in ambient pressure.

The water vapour generated in this process is condensed and collected from tubing

cooled by the seawater feed.

Only a small percentage of the incoming seawater-feed is evaporated and collected.

This method produces about 84% of the world’s potable water from Thermal

Methods.

[1], to prevent scale build-up, thereby reducing effectiveness.

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Low Temperature - Multi-Effect Distillation (LT - MED)

Also a thermal process – similar to the MSF process, however the seawater-feed is

not heated under high pressure. In the MED chambers, reduced ambient pressure is

used to boil water at lower temperatures. Saltwater boils at slightly above 100OC at

Standard Temperature and Pressure (STP).

However, with the reduced pressure effect within the LT-MED Chambers, it boils at

about 65O C [2].

This significantly reduces the energy requirements, and therefore the operating

costs, to run the facility.

Higher numbers of chambers (Effects) equates to higher performance ratios.[3]

Reverse Osmosis [RO]

A non-thermal, filtration process using membrane technology – saltwater is pumped

at high pressures of between 800 to 1,000 psi through a semi-permeable membrane.

There are numerous stages involved in the pre-treatment process, depending on the

contamination levels of the saltwater-feedstock – i.e. suspended solids and divalent

ions like Calcium and Magnesium.

This process is prevalent in the US, where energy costs are too high for thermal

processes.[4]

Of all the available types of Desalination Processes, LT-MED may provide the best

value with its low-temperature & low operational costs, especially when any available

Cogeneration and Geothermal resources are combined within the Energy Cycle.

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Water Standards & Quality – Sterile water should be used for aquifer recharge –

to prevent any contamination from seaborne viruses – for example, in off-shore

Victorian waters there is a virus that causes ganglioneuritis, a herpes-like disease

– it has decimated the wild abalone fisheries.[5]

Quarantine protocols – Strict controls will be required for any process where

water is directly injected into aquifers during recharge.

This may rule out using Reverse Osmosis (RO) for the desalination process.

2. Geothermal Resources A geothermal resource with medium yield

temperatures of around 125O C.

Energy Costs

The on-going operational energy costs for a LT-MED desalination plant will be

significantly reduced by using the cogeneration process – perhaps to 20% of the total

costs if using a purpose-built power station just for this plant.

1. Using Heat By-product – Incorporating this wasted resource will attract carbon

credits within any ETS Plan. There may also be Commonwealth Government

Incentive Packages available for organisations developing such efficiencies, especially

during critical times of drought.

[6] may provide additional heat [directly]or

electricity [indirectly] for the distillation process.

Full costings for such a plant are dependent upon plant type, size, and energy

sources; however, these 3 papers listed below provide comprehensive details:

1. A paper by Neil M Wade[7] of the UK, entitled ‘Distillation Plant

Development and Cost Update’, compares the various available

desalination processes.

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2. Conference paper by J.E. Blank, G.F. Tusel & S. Nisan, entitled, “The Real

Cost of Desalted Water and how to Reduce it Further” [8], presented

at the Conference on Desalination Strategies in South Mediterranean

Countries – Cooperation between Mediterranean Countries of Europe and the

Southern Rim of the Mediterranean on 21–25 May 2006, at Montpellier,

France.

3. A paper by A Ophir and A. Gendel entitled “Latest Developments in MED

and MVC Thermal Desalination Processes”, presented at the IDA World

Congress-Maspalomas, Gran Canaria –Spain from the 21st – 26th October, 2007.

Abstract: For many years the low temperature Multi Effect Desalination

(M.E.D.) and Mechanical Vapour Compression (M.V.C.) processes have been

considered the most efficient thermal desalination options.

Recent developments incorporating corrugated heat transfer surfaces, that

significantly increase heat transfer coefficients combined with forward feed flow

arrangement, allowing a safe increase in top operating temperatures result in

significant reductions in investment costs and energy consumption.

Another development which is now being contemplated is the replacement of the

relatively inefficient thermo-compressor (ejector) used in the MED plants by a more

efficient mechanical compressor driven by a steam turbine.

This paper will describe the advantages of most modern operating thermal

desalination plants and focus on the magnitude of benefits achievable while

implementing these recent developments.

These authors have researched those major Desalting processes [including RO, LT-

MED] that will be operating 25 years in the future.

There are direct links between each process, the cost of energy, oil and type of Power

Generation used, to provide Industry with informed options that suit their particular

needs.

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Summary

Hard to say – but - based upon this research and collated research from other

authorities – we must consider the risks.

Is the Plan to

Is the Traveston Crossing Dam a ‘white elephant?’

Build a Dam – or – Is the Plan to Meet Future Water Needs?

The Risk:

If the declared Govt. outcome is to address these key areas of responsibility

Spending $1.5 Billion + for a dam that may not meet the future water

demands for Australia’s fastest-growing State.

2

, namely;

There is only one way to ensure success.

A guaranteed water supply – the pathway to a secure future.

2 Source: Qld Dept of Environment and Resource Management website:

http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/

“water - securing the quality and supply of water

climate change - preparing for the impacts of climate change

land - managing land and vegetation (including land titling and administration of native title)”

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Disclaimer: The author has produced this document in the Public Interest – without receiving any

payment or gratuity from any political, economical or social lobby-group. The author also declares

that he has recently purchased shares in ENERJI [ASX:ERJ] – but assures viewers that these shares

are a long-term investment. Research for this decision prompted me to take a much closer look at the

long-term Water Issues & Bushfire Threat Levels facing Queensland residents.

© Graham Bates – Sunshine Coast – 0418 569 000

Endnotes

Sources: These references provide more detailed information.

[1] ‘Introduction to Water Desalination’, by Hari J Krishna

http://www.twdb.state.tx.us/Desalination/The%20Future%20of%20Desalination%2

0in%20Texas%20-%20Volume%202/documents/C1.pdf

[2] ‘Distillation Plant Development and Cost Update’, by Neil M Wade, page

7 Website: http://www.desline.com/articoli/4051.pdf

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] ABC Rural Program of 6th June, 2006, website:

http://www.abc.net.au/rural/regions/content/2006/s1655934.htm

[6] Victorian Dept of Sustainability Report prepared by SKM in collaboration

with Monash University

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pp 66-76 website:

http://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/resources/documents/SKM_Geothermal_Rep

ort.pdf

[7] ‘Distillation Plant Development and Cost Update’, by Neil M Wade,

website: http://www.desline.com/articoli/4051.pdf

[8] Desalination Online Directory, hosted by Miriam Balaban, website:

http://www.desline.com/articoli/8147.pdf

1QLD Water Infrastructure Ltd website; http://www.qldwi.com.au/Default.aspx?tabid=36

2QWIP website: http://www.qldwi.com.au/Default.aspx?tabid=57