Following on from the successful construction and commissioning of the Coppabella Water Treatment Plant Aurizon Holdings Limited engaged Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment [Mackay & Brisbane Branches] to deliver a much needed Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) Upgrade at their Coppabella Township, located on the Goonyella Rail Corridor (the world's largest metallurgical coal rail system) - 159 kilometres South West of Mackay, QLD. The Coppabella STP Upgrade project entailed the addition of an Ultra-Filtration (UF) 'Polishing' Plant onto the existing STP. Dowdens new UF 'Polishing' Plant can produce up to 180 kL/day of treated Class A effluent.

The township of Coppabella was primarily designed and built to service the junction of two railway lines (one from Goonyella Coal Mine and one from Saraji Coal Mine) and to provide accommodation to the regions coal mine workers in work depots. The town is wholly owned and operated by Aurizon Holdings Limited and contains: stations, residences, single-quarters, work depots, hotel, a shop, swimming pool, football oval, caravan park, school, ambulance, fire brigade, the recently completed Dowdens whole-of-town Water Treatment Plant and of course the upgraded Sewage Treatment Plant which is now capable of producing 180kL of treated Class A effluent per day for above ground irrigation applications. The local Coppabella Golf Course is one area where this treated effluent is used for irrigation.

After successfully completing various projects for Aurizon Holdings Limited, Dowdens won the tender to provide the process design together with equipment supply, civil construction, installation, commissioning and training for the STP plant operators. The construction phase of the project began with extensive civil works being undertaken to raise the ground level for the new STP components. The pre-existing STP has historically been subject to flooding during heavy rainfall events due to the sites proximity to the local creek. Upon surveying the sites substrate a water table was discovered 1m below ground level.

Working with local Civil Engineers Cardno a substantial foundation was designed / laid to ensure the new buildings, plant components and 4,000 tonne water tank would be stable and remain above the flood plain even during heavy rainfall. Once foundations were laid Dowdens began construction of the 400,000L lined stainless steel water tank, new building to properly house the STP process equipment, an operators office, laboratory facilities and a back-up generator used to power the entire STP in the event of power loss.

After extensive effluent testing and thorough examination of the existing STP process a UF 'Polishing' Plant was designed by Dowdens inhouse Water Treatment Engineering Dept. capable of processing up to 180kL of partially treated sewage effluent per day. The partially treated sewage effluent was rated as Class C and needed to be treated to an acceptable level (Class A) to then be used for above ground irrigation. This treatment process consists of three stages of filtration and sterilisation, including UF. This three-stage process runs as follows:

• Primary treated effluent from the existing STP (Class C quality) is transferred to a 45,000L Glass Media Filtration (GMF) feed tank via duty / stand-by submersible pumps on demand.
• In Stage 1 the clarified effluent from the existing STP process is first dosed with sodium hypochlorite as primary disinfection, to reduce biofouling of the Glass Media. It is then passed through the duty/stand-by Glass Media Filters which reduce particulates, suspended solids and turbidity from the GMF filtrate stream. This ensures no large particles damage the UF membranes in Stage 2.
• In Stage 2 the GMF filtrate is then passed through UF treatment process which incorporates 5% 'cross-flow' to maximise the filtration run-time between back flushes (triggered by high trans-membrane pressure). The systems consists of 8 individual outside-in PVDF membranes which reduce turbidity to less than 1 NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Units) whilst removing any particles greater than 0.0002mm from the permeate stream. The UF feed is again dosed with sodium hypochlorite to assist with cleaning the UF membranes from biological and organic fouling between the backwash and Chemical Enhanced Back Flush (CEBF) cycles.
• In Stage 3 the UF filtrate is passed through duty/stand-by Activated Carbon Filters (ACF) on demand to reduce colour and odour (by removing aromatic compounds) as a final 'polish' before being fed to the treated effluent tank. The ACF filtrate is then dosed with sodium hypochlorite as a final disinfection of the treated effluent prior to it entering the treated effluent storage tank for dispersal via above ground irrigation systems. Dowdens provided a centralised, custom designed / fabricated, packaged chemical dosing system for this UF 'Polishing' Plant which included a 1000L Chemical Storage tank, a splash-proof racking area housing 5 individual Chemical Dosing pumps - complete with an internal bund and double containment dosing line connections.

When the treated effluent arrives in the 400kL stainless steel tank a recirculation system pumps it through a chlorine analyser and back to the treated effluent tank. The chlorine analyser then controls the residual free chlorine level in the treated water and will start / stop a chemical dosing pump as required to maintain the pre-set residual free chlorine level.

Each of the GMF, UF and ACF processes are periodically backwashed and cleaned, with residual waste being fed to a nearby buffer dam where chlorine is allowed to dissipate. Based on the level in the buffer dam and the level in the treated effluent tank, the water may then be returned to the pump station at the front of the STP for reprocessing.

With a history of successful installations over the past 20 years throughout the Queensland Mining Sector Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment have the ability to expertly design / manufacture / install and commission specialised pumping and water treatment solutions that are built primarily in-house & onsite to client's specific unique requirements. The Coppabella STP Upgrade project is yet another example of Dowdens unparallelled capability to deliver specialised long-term engineered fluid handling solutions from project inception through to final commissioning / handover.

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!

Anglo American's Australian Coal division engaged Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment [Mackay] to deliver 8 specialised underground pumping PODs used for various dewatering applications at their Grosvenor Coal Mine, located 190km southwest of Mackay in Moranbah, Central Queensland.

The Grosvenor mine is a developing underground longwall operation that makes up part of Anglo American's plan to triple hard coking coal production at their Moranbah mine sites. Located next to their existing Moranbah North coal mine, Grosvenor is set to produce up to 5 million tonnes of hard coking coal per annum for export. The Grosvenor mine utilises a 10km overland conveyor to transport high-quality metallurgical coal to the Moranbah North Coal Handling & Preparation Plant.

Construction on Anglo American's $1.95 billion Grosvenor longwall project began back in January 2013, with the development celebrating a number of industry firsts including being the first underground coal mine in Queensland to use a tunnel boring machine to develop the drifts, or access tunnels, in coal mine development. Anglo American aimed to have the Grosvenor mine raise the bar for onsite system and production efficiency - making the supply of unique underground POD pumping systems a perfect match for Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment's experienced Engineering Department.

Dowdens Engineering Department's comprehensive abilities have been on the radar of many Central Queensland/Bowen Basin mines for some time through direct contact and working with industry leading consulting engineering firms. Dowdens ability to expertly design/manufacture/install and commission unique equipment built to specific client needs, together with a history of successful installations over the past 15 years in the Bowen Basin has positioned the business as Queensland's premier pumping & water treatment organisation.

Underground Pumping PODs are used in mines as part of the site water management process. Mine water is collected from sumps and wet areas by Wilden air operated diaphragm pumps and delivered to PODs where water level sensors then activate the pump and transfer the collected mine water to a mains pump station, underground storage dam or directly out of the mine portal. Mine water is typically dirty with coal fine, rocks and dirt; therefore slurry pumps are needed to handle such water. PODs can be located in hazardous areas and can be fitted with Flame proof motors and motor controllers with PLC (Programmable Logic Controllers) and SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition).

The Grosvenor mine site requirements meant each POD needed to have a 200kW power rating. With the site's physical constraints (i.e. the underground mined roof height and width, as well as the site lifting equipment for transporting) meant careful consideration was required for the overhung load whilst transporting this equipment. Capacity of a standard Dowdens POD is 4m3 with a 110kW motor, however with the larger flow rate required to and from the POD meant a 6m3 capacity working volume was needed. Bigger capacity and higher duty equated to a larger size motor and pump, more robust steel framework and additional accessibility for scheduled servicing.

Dowdens standard POD design incorporates a dirty water receiving area. This area, integral to the main hopper (container for collection of bulk material such as rock or soil), ensures particles that are too large for the pump to digest and transport are separated and manually removed periodically ensuring trouble free pumping.

Pumps selected by Dowdens for this harsh duty were Stalker 400SHD model with mechanical seals, seal lubrication and cooling. Motors selected were WEG brand Flameproof mine spec motors. The control for the pumps is a flameproof 200kW model with PLC and HMI (Human Machine Interface) screens. The controller starts and stops the pump, whilst also monitoring for faults and relaying important information to the mine surface via SCADA. Dowdens PODs built for the Grosvenor mine have the ability of easily interchanging the motors/pumps for differing duties. These will be identified as 200kW and 132kW cassettes. To accommodate this change the Main Control Unit (MCU) has the capacity to operate at either 200kW or 132kW with only slight changes to load controls.

The larger size and the flexibility to change the duty, together with Dowdens strategic POD site placement advice has enabled Anglo American less manoeuvring of the POD through development, saving costly underground labour and downtime. Without reliable pumping the mine's production slows/halts causing delays and safety issues which cost the mine many thousands of dollars each day. It was imperative the system worked and was extremely reliable. This project was delivered on time and within budget. Key project system components are listed below:

Unique features specific to the 8x Underground Dewatering Grosvenor PODs included:

• Fold out access platforms for operators to access the instruments and simplify servicing
• Direct fill points to prevent foaming of the mine water
• Overflow points for PODs operation on a steep slope
• Forklift access to both the pump and motor cassette

Key Project Features:

• PODs for this mine have the ability of interchangeable motors/pumps for differing duties
• PODs larger size, flexibility to change their duty together with Dowdens strategic POD placement advice enabled Anglo American to save on costly underground labour & pump downtime
• Safety & Design workshop hosted by Dowdens Mackay enabled project stakeholders to table all development & maintenance requirements ensuring seamless system delivery
• Project was delivered on time and within budget

Longreach Regional Council recently engaged Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment's Mackay & Rockhampton branches to manufacture and install a specialised pool water treatment system for the Yaraka Community Pool in Yaraka (a small town in Central West Queensland located 220 kilometres south of Longreach).

This project began with Longreach Regional Council asking for tender submissions to fully upgrade the Yaraka's Pool onsite filtration & treatment systems. Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment was successful in winning the tender thanks to our price competitiveness, delivery times and unique in-house fabrication capabilities. On hearing about the tender a representative from the Dowdens Rockhampton branch immediately attended the pool to properly assess and quote the job. It quickly became apparent that a specialised filtration system was needed due in part to the pools remote location (limiting the possibility of regular system servicing), and the extreme weather patterns (high temperatures, dust storms & limited / sporadic rainfall) experienced in Central QLD.

Dowdens then set about designing the new filtration system utilising inhouse Engineering, Workshop Fabrication & Mobile Pool Servicing Departments. The end result was a unique twin-filtration systems that was mounted onto a fabricated galvanised skid to aid in maneuverability, ease of installation & transportation. The skid base was fabricated specifically to fit the existing shed onsite.

Having all the system components plumbed up on a single sturdy base made installation easy as only the Pump Inlet, Pool Water Return and Wastewater Pipes needed to be connected and the system was ready to go. The skid comprised 2x Pool Glass Media Filters, 2x Pool Pumps and 2x Salt Water Chlorinators. The Salt Water Chlorinators are fully automated allowing for round the clock (controlled via sensors) pH and chlorine / acid dosing together with chlorine generation. This has drastically reduced the need for regular onsite water testing and manual chemical dosing at the community pool. On Dowdens recommendation Longreach Regional Council also purchased a Dolphin Robotic Pool Cleaner which has noticeably improved the pools cleanliness.

All design, manufacture, delivery and installation / commissioning was successfully completed by Dowdens well within Longreach Regional Council's delivery deadline of six weeks.

The Yaraka Community Pool is now clean and ready for summer. The new equipment Dowdens supplied has reduced the need for costly regular maintenance whilst improving the automation of the pools chlorine levels - keeping the pool sanitised and chemically balanced at all times is extremely important for any community pool. Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment's design philosophy for this project was simple: Cost Effectiveness - Ease of Installation - Simple & Effective System Operation - System Reliability & Delivering Greatly Reduced Ongoing Maintenance Requirements.

Yaraka Community Pool Filtration System ~ Key System Features & Components:

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 & 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!