The AWQC is often engaged to provide advice during major water quality incidents and on major water infrastructure or environmental projects across Australia and internationally. The AWQC’s greatest strength is in its ability to respond to the needs of water utilities and their ongoing challenges to produce safe drinking water to cost effective standards. AWQC is able to quickly mobilise and develop new methodologies for various chemical, algal and microbial contaminants to low levels of detection.


Water Treatment Team offer a solution for a major water utility

Investigative tests undertaken by the Water Treatment Team for a major interstate water utility to explore treatment and disinfection options on water sources destined for use in a future drinking water treatment plant.

The water sources were known to contain high bromide levels as well as significant calcium and magnesium hardness.

Initially, raw water characterisation was carried out to confirm bromide concentrations for the test samples, identify any problematic organic fractions, and determine hydrophilic/hydrophobic NOM concentrations to estimate how much DOC could be removed.

Subsequent testing included enhanced coagulation using aluminium sulphate and saturated lime to achieve optimal DBP precursor removal and reduce bromide concentrations.

AWQC’s report recommended bulk treated water at the optimum doses produced for disinfection option testing.

This included traditional chlorination and chloramination along with combinations with novel disinfectants (ozone and chlorine dioxide) to attempt to minimise DBP formation.