OPERATOR May 2012 Edition -I-O-A WAustralia EXCELLENCE Presenter of the Best Operator O Paper at the NSW Conference P IN S ERATION Michael Summerell (R) with Alex Maderasi from Ecolab. NSW Conference report page 4. Inside Craig’s Comment ...............................2 New Committee Elected .....................2 Profile of a Member. ..........................3 Tech Talk ............................................3 The assembled members at NSW Conference Report ................ 4-5 the WIOA weekend seminar Awards Wrap .....................................6 with Rod Norman (PASS) doing his presentation. 2012 Idiots Recipient .........................7 More on page 12. Karangi Water Treatment Plant ...... 8-9 Assess Performance of your WTP ...10 Corporate News .............................. 11 Weekend Seminar and AGM ............12 Some of the participants at the WIOA AGM Virgins Perspective .......13 Bundamba (Qld) Plant Tour. Queensland Activities ................. 13-14 More on page 14. Tasmanian News ..............................15 New Members ..................................16 Newsl ette S ASSOCIAT r o OR IO f AT N the ER OF W P AU AT O ST ER INDUSTRY RALIA Craig’s Comment NEW COMMITTEE ELECTED As l reflect on my first 10 months working with WIOA, l find it very The 2012 WIOA Committee was elected at the AGM held in different and interesting at the same time to work in an industry that conjunction with the Weekend Seminar on March 3 and includes actively promotes to its customers not to use its product. new members in Jason Krzciuk from SEQ Water (Queensland The drought across Eastern Australia ensured most consumers gave Advisory Committee Chairperson), Damian Lavelle from Ben due consideration to their own water use and many now continue to Lomond Water (Tasmanian Advisory Committee Chairperson) and use good water practices as an essential part of their lives. This has Adrian Rijnbeek from EGL Management Services. Contact details led to a reduction in domestic water use which continues today. But and a listing of the new committee can be found on the back page. competition for water will increase as society manufactures more and we are required to produce more energy to meet our lifestyles. It would be remiss of us not to acknowledge the contribution made According to the World Health Organisation, one in three people are by outgoing members Barry Waddell & Peter Tolsher (IDIOTS in affected by a lack of water to meet their daily needs. What’s worse, their own right). These guys had been on the Committee for 20 almost 6,000 people die every day due to a lack of safe drinking and 10 years respectively. Both were presented a small token water - that is approximately 2 million people every year. These of our appreciation for their considerable input. We also had people suffer simply because they do not have one of the things Bret Mendham from Qld decide not nominate this year and his that we in the developed world take for granted - clean water. contribution was noted as well. So l salute our members who go about their day to day business with little fuss and definitely no fanfare in providing safe drinking water every time l turn on the tap. And equally, I salute those who ensure that when l flush, this is the last l will ever see of it again! I was fortunate to represent the Association at the recent OzWater conference in Sydney and a number of themes that l had also been hearing from our members were discussed. Climate change, the cost of water to the consumer, lessening demand but increasing costs, construction of insurance projects such as recycling and desalination plants were topics that WIOA members are involved with on a daily basis. It is not until you get time to reflect and “smell the roses” that the real value and importance of the work undertaken is recognised. Along my short journey l have been fortunate to meet a large number of great people who work in the industry through attendance at WIOA events and all of them have made me (a stranger to the industry) feel very welcome. One thing that really stands out is the passion Barry Waddell stepping down at the AGM that those who work in the water industry demonstrate. Young, old and at every level of employment, the passion is always evident. I am always keen to hear from members how the Association can better serve you, our members and I will be developing a survey in the next couple of months to get an insight into what our members believe are important issues. Everything WIOA does is for the benefit of our members in one way or another, but we need your feedback and ideas to provide the BOTTLED WATER best services possible. Our networks in Queensland and Tasmania have been very active and a number of successful events have been conducted over the last couple of months. These events all originated from member ideas and a number of these events are reported on in this issue. Ever wonder about people who We have recently added a new member to the WIOA staff team in pay $3 for a bottle of Evian water? Ann Austin. Ann is working in administration and lists Goulburn Valley Water in Victoria as a previous employer. As such, she may Just spell “Evian” backwards! be known to a number of you already. We welcome Ann to the team and look forward to catching up with many of you at a WIOA event in the future. Craig Mathisen, WIOA Chief Operations Officer PAGE 2 PROFILE OF A MEMBER TECH TALK Name: Remember to Dial John Paulger Position: Coordinator Wastewater “Remember that time we were fixing that main and we took out the Operations Toowoomba main fibre optic cable between Melbourne and Sydney” – that’s not a conversation any of us in this industry wants to have. We Employer & Location: especially don’t want to dial after we dig and have to explain those Toowoomba Regional Council, circumstances to our manager – ouch! Toowoomba How long have you worked in the water As an industry that deals daily with underground infrastructure, industry and what attracted you to it? whether it’s pipes in the ground or many of the different services I have been in the Water industry since January 1971 when found beneath the surface, Dial Before You Dig is an invaluable I started with the old Brisbane City Council as a cadet service to provide necessary information. Additionally, they notify Technical Officer, involved in the sewering of Brisbane. relevant parties of the work being carried out. After the bulk of the reticulation systems were completed Generally Dial Before You Dig requests are initiated via phone I transferred across to the treatment side. (1100) or their website (www.1100.com.au). However, visitors to What do you enjoy most about your job? the recent WIOA conference in Tamworth were able to try a sneak The continuous change in treatment processes and the preview of the Dial Before You Dig iPhone application. characters involved in the industry. Dominic Puiu, from Dial Before You Dig, says “Hitting the Dial What are the major challenges in your Before You Dig icon logs you in. The screen brings up a map of current role? Maintaining License compliance with the local area. You can then touch the screen to indicate where the changing nature of the influent being delivered to the you are working. Or you can enter an address to get a map of treatment facility. another location. The Dial Before You Dig system then does the How long have you been a WIOA member? rest, notifying member companies who you are and where you are About 8 years working. These companies will then supply information directly to you.” Requests from some service providers are received on the How do you relax? Travel (motorbike at the moment) same day while others may take up to two working days. Where do you live and what’s the best Dominic adds “The Dial Before You Dig iPhone application will thing about it? Toowoomba, it is a great base to travel also allow you to see straight away which member companies have from. been notified of your excavation. Job IDs and Sequence Numbers provide evidence that you have lodged an inquiry with Dial Before Quick questions You Dig. Previous inquiries are archived for easy reference.” Age: 59 In the last edition of ‘Operator’, mobile Family Status: Married operator interfaces were presented as a Pets: Nil means of putting the power of technology Favourite food: Asian into the hands of Operator. In that same vein, the Dial Before You Dig iPhone Least favourite food: Tripe application is sure to be a useful tool. Favourite TV show: Any sport Worst TV show: Any reality show Contributed by Dominic Puiu, Dial Before Favourite Movie: Woodstock You Dig and Ryan McGowan, Goulburn Valley Water Favourite Musical artist/s: Bob Dylan, Sugarland, The Waifs Favourite book: Bankbook Ambition in life: Live long enough to be a nuisance to my kids Hobbies: Growing Orchids Best Trait: Casual, easy going Worst Trait: Too casual Four people to invite to dinner: Bob Dylan, Francis Crick, Richard Branson, Charles Darwin. PAGE 3 2012 NSW CONFERENCE REPORT The 6th Annual WIOA NSW Water Industry Engineers and Operators NSW Operator of the Year - Winner Conference and Exhibition was staged at the home of Country Erwin Balsar, Shoalhaven City Council Music, Tamworth on 28 & 29 March 2012. The Keynote Address was delivered by Jon Dee, founder of Do Something, talking about the very successful Go Tap Campaign and the wastage associated with bottled water. Erwin Balsar receiving his award The Opening Address was performed by representatives from from NSW Water the James Cook University in Cairns who presented a thought Directorate Chairman, Stewart McLeod provoking demonstration of their real-time, 3D, scenario-based training platform which was well received.