How it works

A Typical Billabong Water Treatment Plant

1. BILLABONG COAGULANT DOSING PUMP

Water is drawn from a river, stream, bore or dam by pump ( usually a floating sump pump) and after course filtering directed through a rotameter to monitor and control the flow rate in litres per hour. This is achieved by throttling the flow to hold a steady rate of flow.

2. FLASH MIXER

The initial flow is very accurately dosed with coagulant and directed to a “Flash” Mixer (High Speed Stirrer) to intimately distribute the Billabong coagulant throughout the raw water. This will take some 120 seconds.

3. FLOCK AGGLOMERATION STIRRER

The dosed water is then directed to a “Slow Speed Stirring” vessel which is designed to agglomerate the “Pin flock” into much larger clumps that will readily settle into a discrete sludge. This flock agglomeration should take place over some 15 to 20 minutes.

4. CLARIFIER tanks

This is a process called flock sedimentation and is carried out in multiple settling tanks over approximately a one hour period. The flock settles to form a 'fluffy' sludge. This is extracted by a drain valve or suction by way of a 'wet vac'.

5. polishing filter tank

Some residual very fine pin flock will not settle in this time frame and must be filtered out by either very fine filter bags or a sand filter.

6. dissinfection in a clear water TANK

These processes produce a very clear drinking water that is almost pathogen free. Any remaining pathogen is then easily removed by subjecting the clean clear water by

1. U.V Light, which in a 4,000 litre per hour plant needs only some 40 watts to disinfect and remove all traces of pathogen. Or

2. Dose with a small quantity of Sodium Hypochlorite

7. ELEVATED STORAGE

The water can then be pumped from the clear water tank to elevated storage for distribution to troughs. If the suspended solids are removed from the raw water then it may be assumed that some 99% of the pathogenic content has also been removed. This clean non turbid water is the goal of the Billabong drinking water plant.

8. STOCK TROUGHS

Cool, clean, pathogen free drinking water can then be distributed to troughs for livestock that can ultimately result in healthier appetites, increased weight and ultimately better returns.