
Gingin - Eco Lifestyle Villages
Summary
Location: Gingin, Western Australia
Project commenced: December 2024
Purpose: Water treatment for Eco Lifestyle Villages, Retirement Estate.
Treatment Volume: <50kL/day - servicing 110 houses and clubhouse onsite
About the Project
Eco Lifestyle Villages is a real estate development undertaken by Sanvidel Developer in the northern town of Gingin, Western Australia. This project lies approximately 80 kilometres north of Perth, near Lancelin. ALGAESYS allows the project to recycle its water and safely reuse it for irrigation in the communal orchard and shared landscape, reducing costs for homeowners while protecting the natural environment.
Given the more rural location, water accessibility and treatment can be a challenge. In Western Australia, water scarcity is a major challenge, with limited annual rainfall and exhausted groundwater aquifers. By reusing the wastewater collected in the sewage at the estate, the natural resources are being used more efficiently. This level of resource management is crucial in a drying climate.
Additionally, this is the first ALGAESYS system commissioned in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere. This has presented us with a few challenges such as getting the system locally validated and verified. The construction of the plant itself has also faced with adversity, commencing in 2023, as we suffered from both the labour and resource shortages present in WA since the COVID-19 pandemic.
At present, the plant is in the final stages of commissioning. Groundwater is currently being used to fill the sewage pit and is then dosed with constructed wastewater to enter the treatment train and feed the algae and other organisms. The effluent water is then recirculated and re-dosed. This process will continue until the biological commissioning is completed, the technology is verified by local governing bodies and the first stage of construction on the development site is completed. Current estimation is that the site will be fully operational by the end of May.
We’d like to thank both Sanvidel, the project developer, and The Right Water Company for their help in landing and delivering this project.