Western Water is using innovative techniques to recycle mud dug up from water pipe repairs and return it back to the environment.
\nDeploying \u2018hydro excavation\u2019 trucks to repair jobs, this specialist machinery uses jet water pressure and a vacuum boom to suck up soil to expose a pipe and enable its repair.
\nGraham Holt, General Manager, Customer, Community Relations and Operations, said
\nmud removed from a repair cannot be put straight back into the excavated hole as it is still too wet and won\u2019t compact properly.
\n\u201cInstead of wasting the excess mud, it is transported by hydro truck to Western Water\u2019s Melton Recycled Water Plant. It is spread out in purpose-built holding bays to dry outside, before eventually being turned into soil,\u201d he said.
\nMr Holt said it began as a little idea a few years ago but has now attracted interest from other water corporations.
\n\u201cWe are sharing our learnings, with the potential that this process will be implemented elsewhere.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s quite simple – take excess mud from a repair job, dry it out and return it to the environment as soil. It\u2019s about using a resource in a practical way,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a win for the local environment, a win for common-sense thinking and a win for the bottom line.\u201d
\nScreening and testing is undertaken to determine if the mud is safe to be recycled. Most of the mud received at the Melton plant is uncontaminated. Water removed from the wet mud is then used to irrigate a nearby tree plantation.
\nAny mud removed near an industrial area is deemed to be contaminated and stored separately as per an Environment Protection Authority (EPA) notice. It is then disposed at a licensed facility.
\nThe project meets all regulatory requirements, including EPA guidelines for the use, transportation and storage of contaminated soil. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Western Water is using innovative techniques to recycle mud dug up from water pipe repairs and return it back to the environment. Deploying \u2018hydro excavation\u2019 trucks to repair jobs, this specialist machinery uses jet water pressure and a vacuum boom to suck up soil to expose a pipe and enable its repair. Graham Holt, General […]<\/p>\n