“A packaged water treatment plant, more often than not, is the ideal solution for the majority of conventional water treatment applications”. “A modular water treatment system using off-the-shelf components is cost-effective, reliable and far easier to implement across a variety of industries and applications.”
Walter Wales, Business Development Manager, WEC Projects
A conventional water treatment plant typically draws water from a local water supply, usually a dam, river or borehole, and is pumped into the system’s clarifier which separates the water from the suspended solids and removes discoloration and turbidity. It then enters the break tank and from there moves to the filtration system. The latter processes the water using filter media such as sand or activated filter media (AFM) to remove smaller particulate matter or a combination of AFM/granular activated carbon (GAC) filter media which can remove undesirable organics as well as improve colour, odour and the taste of the water. The filtered water is then disinfected with sodium hypochlorite to remove any remaining bacteria or pathogens.
WEC Projects recently secured a contract for the design and construction of a 15Ml per day water treatment plant to handle around 10% of a KwaZulu-Natal municipality’s potable water requirements. For this project, a standard packaged water treatment plant was chosen as it will allow the municipality to construct and commission the system quickly and with a high degree of simplicity. The plant utilises a multimedia sand/anthracite filter for the filtration process which reduces the overall operating costs for the client. This particular water treatment plant required the addition of a flocculation tank upstream of the clarifier due to the high level of solids contained in the raw source water. The modular design of the plant allows for easy expansion as the municipality’s requirements change.
During the construction phase, the site will employ around 120 people with 5 WEC personnel dedicated to the installation of the plant itself which is expected to be completed by January 2023.
While a fairly large plant by WEC packaged water treatment plant standards, the company can design and build systems capable of processing up to 100Ml per day, although these plants require specialised design and are, therefore, not available as a standard packaged plant. Adds Wales, “While this is a new client for WEC Projects, we have designed similar water treatment plants for clients throughout Africa including Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mali among others.”
