Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment's Rockhampton branch were engaged by the Queensland State Government's Department of Environment and Heritage Protection to deliver an efficient solar pumping system at the disused Mount Chalmers Gold Mine (located 15km North-East of Rockhampton, QLD).

As part of this sites ongoing rehabilitation process the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection needed an efficient solar pumping system to recirculate contaminated mine water collected from a sump, back into the main pit, thereby eliminating any contaminated mine water runoff from site. The Department of Environment and Heritage Protection has been managing the key environmental issues at the Mount Chalmers Gold mine since the former operators Affinis Pty Ltd was placed into liquidation in December 2014. EHP is also supported by other government agencies including the Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation (DSITI) who are providing scientific advice on technical aspects of site management. The primary ongoing focus is to prevent any discharge of contaminated water from the site.

With limited mains power available to the site the use of solar power was a perfect fit for this pumping application. Solar powered pump solutions are always improving, none more so than Grundfos Solar Water Solutions. During initial site inspections the pumps required operating duty was calculated to be 13L/sec @ 18.5m Total Head. To meet these high flow requirements a Grundfos Solar Inverter (RSI) was selected to power the Grundfos R Series Submersible Pump [SP46-3 5.5kw 415V] that the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection already had onsite. The Grundfos R Series SP46-3 is a Stainless Steel pump capable of handling the low pH, slightly acidic mine water (measuring between 2 & 3 pH) needing to be pumped.

Utilising a combination of Grundfos Solar Water Solution products (inverter / pump / solar panels) appealed to the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection as it meant Dowdens could supply a system that not only costs less to install and maintain, but importantly can pump a larger volume of water under solar power. Put quite simply the ability to run large 415V pumps capable of greater pump duties is making the decision to 'go green' and install solar powered systems more attractive in the current climate, for miners and farmers alike.

Dowdens Pumping - Rockhampton initially visited site to establish location of the solar arrays and calculate pump duty. Once known the following components were sourced and prepared for installation: 36 x 270 Watt Grundfos Solar Modules, 2 x 18 SolarTerrace Module Fixed Array Frames, 7.5 kW Grundfos RSI Inverter & Sine Wave Filter and 200m of 110mm PN10 Poly Pipe. The Grundfos SP46-3 5.5kw Pump was attached to a specialised float that sits on the surface of the sump (pictured below). Pump starts & stops via a level float switch mounted on 4m pole that can be swivelled over to the sump's bank should any maintenance be required.

Local contractors were then engaged to complete the site earthworks and trenching needed for all electrical conduits. Once the solar array support posts were cemented in place, Dowdens Pumping - Rockhampton assembled the SolarTerrace Array Frames and mounted the 36 modules (2 x 18 Modules) ready for the electrical components to be installed.

Electrical contractors RILEC Electrical (accredited electrical/solar contractors) completed the electrical fit-out. As part of these works Dowdens Pumping - Rockhampton delivered the Grundfos Solar Inverter Sinewave Filter & String Connection Box (pictured below) to the RILEC workshop so it could be mounted in a powdered coated, lockable enclosure with sufficient ventilation to ensure the inverter remains cool during the day. RILEC then brought the control box to site, mounted it and completed all wiring to meet electrical standards and the site specifications. All commissioning of this system was undertaken by Dowdens Pumping - Rockhampton.

Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment's Rockhampton branches design philosophy for this project was: Cost Effectiveness - Innovation - Ease of Installation - Simple & Reliable Pump Operation - System Reliability & Reduced Ongoing Maintenance. The entire Grundfos RSI Solar Pumping System was designed, manufactured, installed and commissioned on time and within budget.

Mount Chalmers Gold Mine ~ Solar Pumping System - Key Components:

• 36 x 270 Grundfos Watt Solar Modules
• Grundfos R Series Submersible Pump [SP46-3 5.5kw 415V]
• 7.5 kW Grundfos RSI Inverter & Sine Wave Filter

• 2 x 18 SolarTerrace Module Fixed Array Frames
• Specialised Float to suspend the Grundfos Submersible Pump on the sump's surface
• 200m of 110mm PN10 Poly Pipe

As an Australian owned company that began life in 1973 selling and servicing agricultural pumps, Dowdens has grown to employ over 160 staff situated across 4 branches in Mackay, Proserpine, Rockhampton and Brisbane permitting us to confidently service customers throughout Queensland, nationally and internationally. From project inception through to final commissioning - the team at Dowdens has the ability to deliver complete specialised long-term engineered solutions that are practical and innovative, ensuring our clients benefit from greater productivity and reduced downtime.

With dedicated departments of industry trained engineers, draftsmen, project managers, sales staff and tradespeople including fitters, mechanics, polywelders, machinists, plumbers, electricians and boiler makers - Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment offer an unmatched range of world-class engineering solutions for any type of water management project. We truly are Queensland's premier one-stop-shop for solar pumping and water treatment systems!

Racecourse Projects recently engaged Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment's Mackay 'Infield Service Crew' to undertake emergency repairs to a damaged Valley Irrigation Centre Pivot Irrigator at their Sugar Cane Farm located in Marwood, QLD.

This project began, like most emergency repair jobs do with an unexpected call from our customer. Racecourse Projects rang the Dowdens Pumping Agricultural Sales Team to inform them a Cane Haul-Out Truck had struck the first span of their Valley Centre Pivot. The pivot was now hanging precariously and needed to be repaired immediately. Daryn Gray (Dowdens - Industrial Workshop [Engineering Support]) and Brett Hayes (Dowdens - Agricultural Sales) promptly attended the Marwood site and assessed the pivot. Dowdens advised the pivot needed to be supported or it may have collapsed further. Straightaway the Dowdens 'Infield Service Crew' were onsite to elevate and secure the damaged span.

After speaking directly with the manufacturer of the damaged Valley Centre Pivot (Valmont Industries - Australia) Dowdens confirmed with Racecourse Projects there were no suitable spans for that machine currently available anywhere in Australia. This meant repairs needed to be undertaken promptly before the machine potentially collapsed completely - making any further repair work impossible. Dowdens then promptly engaged a local subcontractor to work alongside the Dowdens 'Infield Service Crew' repairing the machine in situ (whilst still suspended in the air). As the repairs had to be effected whilst the machine was still standing, this required coordination between 2 cranes and a telehandler forklift, along with a man box (attached to the all terrain telehandler) for 2 men to carry out the repairs. All the repairs and commissioning of the irrigator were successfully completed within 2 days of the accident!

Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment [Mackay] are the sole authorised Valley Irrigation Master Dealers for the Mackay / Whitsunday region enabling access to the best possible pricing and product support, an unmatched range of spare parts & fast-turnaround repairs for all of our customers irrigators.

Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment's methodology for the Racecourse Projects Centre Pivot Irrigator Repair was: Fast Response Time - Cost Effectiveness - Fast Turnaround Servicing - Ease of Installation - Limiting Product Downtime - Enable Farming to Continue as per normal whilst the Dowdens 'Infield Service Crew' was onsite.

For over 40 years Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment have been selling & servicing irrigation products throughout Central & Northern Queensland - designing each and every system to improve farming efficiencies, reduce downtime and increase the longevity of pumps / irrigators. As a company that has built its foundation on the servicing and development of agricultural pumping systems, Dowdens Pumping and Water Treatment have the experience to engineer a solution to suit any agricultural application.

The entire project was overseen and managed by the Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment [Mackay] Agricultural Sales Team. The Dowdens Mackay-Whitsunday Agricultural Irrigation Team of Glenn Agnew, Brett Hayes, Jeff Roberts, Kevin Krog, Mike Sanderson, Eileen Mason and Nathan Cross are one of the most experienced Ag sales teams in Australia, with over 125 years of combined irrigation system design and operational experience between them.

Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment's Rockhampton branch were engaged by local beef cattle graziers Lance and Colleen Sypher (located in Alpha, QLD) to deliver a unique surface mounted Solar Array and Pump Float to supply onsite dam water to both their residence and the property's many cattle watering troughs.

Lance and Colleen Sypher approached Dowdens Rockhampton seeking a design for a solar pumping system with the ability to float on their dam, eliminating the need for any power cables or pump modules to be placed on the bank as is the case with traditional dam solar pumping systems. Having the unit completely isolated (floating) on the surface of the dam would remove the potential for the pumping unit sustaining damage from cattle walking along the edge of the dam. Cattle are known to cause damage to solar pump modules (in particular the associated power cables) that are situated on the edge of dams.

The innovative solar pumping unit design that Dowdens developed needed to meet a required flow rate (during the summer months on average the pumps required duty is 25,000 L/day @ 10m total head). Part of this new design incorporated the solar arrays being installed level with the dams surface, the main advantage of this design feature means the pumps power supply is not affected if the floating pontoon swings or floats across the dam. Having the solar arrays set at an angle, as is found on most traditional solar pumping units, would mean the pontoon would need be to be anchored to the floor of the dam (to avoid any rotation away from direct sun), thereby substantially increasing the overall cost of this project. Angled arrays would have also increased the potential for the arrays to catch any high winds, potentially flipping the unit over into the dam.

Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment's Rockhampton branch specialises in the design, manufacture and installation of innovative customised Solar Pumping systems for the commercial, agriculture and mining sectors of Central Queensland and the greater Capricorn Coast regions.

The final design incorporated a Mono Pumps 600 Watt SUN-RAY SRX Solar Pump due to it's highly efficient, self-priming helical rotor pump. The pontoon has been designed in a way that it can accommodate a wide range of solar pumping units, making it customisable for whatever site requirements are presented. Dowdens believe this is the first time any pump shop has mounted both the solar arrays and pump unit on a float for this application. Having the solar pump operating independently saves the customer spending time and money travelling to and from the dam each day to switch on the pump.

The entire solar pump float system was designed, manufactured, installed and commissioned on time and within budget. Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment's Rockhampton branches design philosophy for this project was: Cost Effectiveness - Innovation - Ease of Installation - Simple & Effective Pump Operation - System Reliability & Reduced Ongoing Maintenance.

Dowdens Pumping Rockhampton's Unique Solar Pump Float - Key Components:

• Mono Pumps 600 Watt SUN-RAY SRX Solar Pump
• 2x solar arrays horizontally mounted to customised pump float

• Custom in-house design undertaken by Dowdens Project Engineering Department
• Custom in-house fabrication undertaken by Dowdens Pumping Industrial Workshops

Dowdens Pumping and Water Treatment have successfully designed, manufactured and commissioned a self-contained Solar Emergency Eye Wash and Safety Shower. The safety station incorporates both safety shower and eye wash facilities, which are supplied from a water tank via a solar powered Grundfos pump.

This unit was designed and manufactured to comply with Australian Standards AS4775-2007.

Dowdens supplied the portable Solar Eye Wash and Safety Shower station to Downer EDI Mining Blasting Services for use at the Rio Tinto Coal Mount Thorley open cut coal mines (located 15km South West of Singleton in the Hunter Valley region of NSW).

Project's Supply Scope:

• Water Tank is insulated with drain valves and fill points
• 1x 190W Solar Panel
• Heavy duty battery pack
• Voltage regulator and power inverter control panel
• Grundfos pressure water pump
• Stainless steel base frame with 'grab rails'
• Eye wash basin and foot-lever action shower head
• Green LED safety light (viewable from 360)

• The station uses the suns energy to charge 6V batteries via 1x 190W solar panel
• This energy is then stored and converted to 240V power which in-turn drives the electric Grundfos pump
• The Power Inverter Control Panel contains the solar charger module and the power inverter module
• The self-contained Solar Eye Wash and Safety Shower station was designed and manufactured to comply with Australian Standards AS4775-2007

Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment's Brisbane branch has built a strong relationship with Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology (SNP) after more than 25 years of providing high purity water treatment systems / solutions for 22 of their Commercial Testing Pathology laboratories - from as far north as Cairns, down south to Coffs Harbour and everywhere in between. The majority of Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment's high purity water treatment systems are used primarily in Sullivan Nicolaides blood testing machines. SNP was formed in 1956 when Dr John Sullivan started a small pathology practice to service local families in and around Brisbane. Dr Nick Nicolaides joined him 18 months later and since then, it has grown to one of the largest and most trusted pathology practices in Australia.

Tap or 'town' water contains many substances that if left untreated, can react with the reagents used in controlled laboratory tests, causing positive or negative interference which leads to unreliable test results. Cations such as sodium, calcium, magnesium or iron; anions such as bicarbonate, chloride and sulfate; and other inorganic ions, are commonly found in tap water. A number of other contaminants - such as pyrogens, nucleases, alkaline phosphatase and endotoxins may be present. As they are not harmful for human consumption, they are not thoroughly regulated or tested in the course of South-East Queensland municipalities potable water treatment and distribution. These contaminants are detrimental to experimental / laboratory processes that require precision, high sensitivity and precise instrumental operation.

Water purification is highly dependent upon local (and even site-specific) variations in the make-up of the town / tap water quality, which can differ greatly from place to place. For this reason Dowdens Engineers have designed each and every SNP high purity water treatment system individually, with local and site specific feed water characteristics in mind. The most recent system was installed at SNP's Central Laboratory located in Bowen Hills, QLD.

After careful analysis of the town water being delivered directly to SNP's Bowen Hills Laboratory a turn-key 'looped' treatment system was designed, manufactured and incorporated into SNP's existing Building Maintenance System (BMS). The first stage of this looped system is pre-treatment of the town water via a set of Duplex Carbon Filters and Water Softeners. The water is then fed through Duplex Matten Reverse Osmosis systems and Duplex 10" Deionisers and then stored in four 1,000L loop tanks. This treated water then passes through a set of four Deioniser Polishing Systems which (via a pump) is recirculated into and around the labs as 18 MΩ/cm ultrapure water (UPW).

This 'looped' high purity water treatment system delivers 56,000L of 18 MΩ/cm UPW / day - providing not only the capacity required for SNP's entire Bowen Hills Central Laboratory, but also delivering sufficient redundancy so that during times of service / maintenance the lab and testing machines are never without sufficient UPW to remain operational.

Dowdens Pumping - Brisbane's design philosophy for this project was: Cost Effectiveness - Ease of Installation - Simple & Reliable Plant Operation - System Reliability & Reduction of Ongoing Maintenance Costs. The entire SNP high purity water treatment system was designed, manufactured, installed and commissioned on time and within budget.

Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology's Central Laboratory [Bowen Hills, QLD] - Key Components:

• Duplex Carbon Filters (with automatic Clack Valves)
• Duplex Water Softeners (with automatic Clack Valves)
• Duplex Matten 'L Series' Reverse Osmosis Systems

• Duplex 10" Deionisers
• 4x Deioniser Polishing 'Loop' Systems
• 4x 1,000L Treated Water 'Loop' Tanks

As an Australian owned company that began life in 1973 selling and servicing all manner of water treatment equipment, Dowdens has grown to employ over 160 staff situated across 4 branches in Mackay, Proserpine, Rockhampton and Brisbane permitting us to confidently service customers throughout Queensland, nationally and internationally. From project inception through to final commissioning - the team at Dowdens has the ability to deliver complete specialised long-term engineered solutions that are practical and innovative, ensuring our clients benefit from greater productivity and reduced equipment downtime.

With dedicated departments of industry trained engineers, draftsmen, project managers, sales staff and tradespeople including fitters, mechanics, polywelders, machinists, plumbers, electricians and boiler makers - Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment offer an unmatched range of world-class engineered solutions for any type of water management project. We truly are Queensland's premier one-stop-shop for pumping and water treatment systems!

Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment [Mackay] have delivered a Height Adjustable Hard Hose Boom Irrigator to a local Victoria Plains, QLD Sugarcane Farm. Farmer Ian Stevenson operates a number of sugarcane farms in and around Victoria Plains, QLD. Due to lack of rainfall during the 2015/16 growing season, and a desire to lower his overall irrigation costs Ian decided to purchase a MONSOON 125mm x 540m Hard Hose Irrigator, combined with a RAPTOR 47/55 Folding Boom to better facilitate irrigation of his cane.

Wanting to purchase his new irrigator from a dependable Australian business Ian contacted Monsoon Irrigators, who in turn engaged the Dowdens Mackay Agricultural Sales Team - one of the most experienced Ag sales teams in Australia, with over 125 years of combined irrigation system design and operational experience between them. As a company that has built its foundation on the servicing and development of agricultural pumping systems, Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment have the experience to engineer a solution to suit any agricultural application.

Brett Hayes from the Dowdens Mackay Agricultural Sales Team had several phone conversations with Ian to begin the investigation and design process for the most appropriate system. Brett then met with Ian in the Dowdens Mackay branch to present the irrigator and irrigation plan that was best suited to Ian's 800 acre property parcel under cane. Ian's experience over many years of irrigation on his property helped both parties recognise the MONSOON Irrigator Dowdens proposed was a perfect match.

Taking into consideration the terrain, the farms location (near the coastline - a high wind region), existing pump capabilities and source water availability (30psi gravity fed via the Eton Water Supply Scheme) and with Dowdens being Authorised Monsoon Irrigator Distributors Brett suggested the MONSOON 125mm x 540m Hard Hose Irrigator & RAPTOR 47/55 Folding Boom.

The Stevenson's farm is located in Victoria Plains near Kinchant Dam, meaning their mains water comes via the Eton Water Supply Scheme. Kinchant Dam, situated near Mt Kinchant, 6kms southeast of Mirani, is the only major storage in the Eton Water Supply Scheme. It was constructed to capture runoff water from the small portion of the catchment of Sandy Creek and water pumped from the Pioneer River. Three water harvesting pump stations are located at Mirani Weir below the confluence of Cattle Creek and the Pioneer River, and divert water into an 8km diversion channel into Kinchant Dam.

As this storage dam is predominately used for the irrigation of sugar cane, water from Kinchant Dam is reticulated through open channels and pipelines to the customers by gravity and relift pumping systems. The channel supply system distributes water from Kinchant Dam through 35kms of open earth channels to the various sections of the scheme including gravity fed channels supplying water to Victoria Plains farmers to the east.

30psi inlet pressure and 20psi pressure at the boom (with an average flow of 12L/sec), meant that when Dowdens Mackay Agricultural Sales Team were designing Stevenson Farming's new low pressure irrigation system they did not need to include an electric or diesel booster pump set. This resulted in drastically reduced operating costs for Stevenson Farming as the irrigator can be operated by one man, 24/7 without the need to supply power or fuel to any booster pumps.

The MONSOON Hard Hose Irrigator & RAPTOR Folding Boom is an extremely efficient and reliable low pressure irrigation system that when installed and operated correctly saves farmers water, energy, time and money - whilst increasing overall farm crop yields. Operating off a low pressure gravity fed line of 20psi (at the boom) meant the MONSOON 125mm x 540m Hard Hose Irrigator combined with a RAPTOR 47/55 Folding Boom was perfectly suited for this Victoria Plains farm.

Key MONSOON Hard Hose Irrigator & RAPTOR Folding Boom features listed below:

• Monsoon Hard Hose Irrigators are constructed from High grade Aluminium and Galvanised steel which resists corrosion in the harsh Australian climate, with a unique steering system allows boom tracking to lay of P.E Hose
• Monsoon irrigators low operating costs can be up to 50% more cost efficient than conventional traveling gun irrigators
• Designed to give uniform precipitation at low pressure - making them ideal for use in & around the Victoria Plains region (being a part of the Eton Water Supply Scheme)
• Irrigators are a one person operation and are fully transportable within minutes

• RAPTOR 'open-close' operation is facilitated by the particular foldable structure made of by galvanized steel. Very little time is required & installation is carried out by just one person
• OPEN the RAPTOR boom can be loaded onto irrigator for small movements & CLOSED the boom can be loaded onto irrigator for transportation (pictured below)
• Hydraulic version has the ability to vary the working height from 1 to 3m above the ground
• Each nozzle is mounted on a ball valve for closing as required

For well over 40 years Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment have been selling & servicing irrigation products throughout Central & Northern Queensland - designing each and every system to improve farming efficiencies, reduce downtime and increase the longevity of pumps / irrigators. CONTACT US today and let us help improve your farms productivity while lowering your overall irrigation operating costs!