A Drinking Water System for Levantine Hill Estate: When Krongold Constructions were engaged to construct a new Cellar Door and Restaurant facility for Levantine Hill Estate, in the Coldstream Hills, one of the considerations was the provision of water for drinking and other associated purposes which matched the quality of food and wine on offer in the restaurant which would operate under the highly esteemed Ezard Banner as E@Levantine Hill.

WHEN THE WATER IS AS GOOD AS THE WINE!

The water should be clear, colourless, odourless and tasteless, be free from toxic substances, pathogens and excessive amounts of substances in solution not normally detectable by the unaided senses. It should comply with the requirements of the Victorian Department of Health Guidelines for Private Drinking Water Supplies at Commercial & Community Facilities (2009) and the recommendation of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG).

In effect, it should be the very best drinking water available. Levantine Hill has a rainwater harvesting system in place however this is used for irrigation of the extensive grounds and supply of the fire fighting system. The only other reliable source of water was a dam on the property fed by rainwater, surface run-off and topped from the nearby Yarra River when required.

Continental Water Systems were asked to look at the problem and provide a solution.

An analysis of the water from the dam showed that, in addition to the normally expected contaminants which included micro-organisms, sediments and organic matter, which would discolour the water, iron and manganese, were present in relatively high quantities and this would need to be addressed as a priority. Steve Jeffs, from Continental Water in Melbourne, proposed a system centered on a 20,000 litres per day Ultrafiltration system which would be housed in a container sited near the dam. The acclaimed E@Levantine Hill In the final system, water was pumped from the dam and passed through a pretreatment filtration system, which removed iron, manganese and sediment, and then through the Ultrafiltration process which removes suspended particles down to 0.2 micron. From there the water undergoes a sanitisation process, to remove any bacteria, and is pumped up to the 280,000 litre holding tank in the Cellar Door carpark. From the holding tank, before the water reaches its end use point, it is then passed through ultraviolet light sanitisation and, finally, through a carbon filter to remove any minor taste or odour that may still be evident.

Sallyanne Bartlett, Director and Scientist at WaterQPlus Pty Ltd in Maiden Gully, was engaged to assess the system at commissioning stage. She undertook a review of data from a comprehensive suite of both source water samples and samples collected at various locations throughout the water treatment plant, including the final treated water. Sallyanne found that the capability and performance of the plant was more than adequate to manage/control the water quality risks posed and to confidently produce a reliable, safe drinking water product.

To ensure this quality is maintained, a Drinking Water Quality Management Plan has been implemented and a series of monitoring devices – including an ORP monitor on the ozone sanitisation system, an intensity monitor on the Ultraviolet sanitisation system and pressure monitoring of the Ultrafiltration system are all linked to either audible or visual alarms located in high traffic areas throughout the facility. The resulting water is sweet, pure and fully compliant with the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.