Water Quality Improvement Project update

30-Oct-2015 At Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal (DBCT), water management has been a major focus with a Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) underway to improve the site’s capability of coping with heavy rainfall.

Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal Pty Ltd (DBCT P/L) has been working with Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal Management (DBCTM) on the WQIP, which consists of a number of capital improvements that will enhance water management onsite. $61.429 million worth of capital and operational costs have been allocated to the project.

Senior Specialist Environment, Ricci Churchill, said as part of the environmental licence to operate the terminal, DBCT P/L must make every effort to harvest and recycle water onsite, which is then used for dust suppression.

“Our licence also allows us to discharge excess water, which may be required when we have a lot of rain, provided we comply with strict controls on the amount of coal fines, or Total Suspended Solids (TSS), present in the water.”

Ms Churchill said the WQIP investigated all possible opportunities to minimise the likelihood of discharge exceedances from the Industrial Dam (ID) during wet season stormwater events.
“Phase 1 included concept development and scope definition for 18 short-listed capital improvement sub-projects that showed a significant contribution to reducing the likelihood of exceedances from the ID.

“A number of targeted recommendations have been identified for implementation in Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the project.”

“From undertaking the Phase 2 improvement projects, the Water Management Committee is able to undertake more regular controlled discharges from the Quarry Dam (QD) into Sandfly Creek in a manner that meets our environmental licence conditions.”
Ms Churchill said Phase 3 work was currently underway, including the construction of a new dam on site and raising the existing QD.

“Phase 3 of the WQIP has been approved and is progressing well and will be substantially complete by the end of 2015.”

“We’ve had representatives from the community onsite to see the projects and are hoping to have them back again once the works are complete.”

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