Industry first evaporators help manage Romsey recycled water levels

In an Australian water industry first, Western Water has installed two new evaporators to help manage excess recycled water at the Romsey Recycled Water Plant.

Unprecedented growth in the Lancefield and Romsey communities has led to a substantial increase in recycled water levels at Western Water’s Recycled Water Plant (RWP) in Romsey.

The rise in recycled water volumes is primarily the result of rapid population growth, along with limited availability of irrigable land at the site. Last year, recycled water volumes reached such a critical point that up to 6 megalitres needed to be removed from the plant each week. Over a 6-week period, trucks operated 6 days a week, 16 hours a day to remove the excess recycled water, costing the organisation around $55,000.

The installation of the new evaporators has provided Western Water with a more economical and sustainable solution for managing recycled water at the plant. In ideal conditions, one of the new units can evaporate 105 litres of recycled water per minute at an operating cost of around $25 per day.

With the evaporators providing an effective temporary solution for managing recycled water levels, Western Water is continuing to develop the Romsey Recycled Water management plan for the growing community.