 |
The Aquadam Project |
 |
||||||||||||||||
|
- A Bold Solution to Australia's Water Crisis
"Water scarcity is likely to become the
greatest single threat to international
stability, human health and the global food supply." (World Resources Institute, 2003) SMART WATER project developed by Unique Planet. This project is focused on constructing an innovative large-scale freshwater collection and storage system. By utilising renewable energy and collecting water from multiple sources, Aquadams will have the potential to supply a greater quantity of freshwater to Australia's ever-increasing population and are planned to take over the current role of inefficient river-based dams. The project has received interest from several companies and organisations involved in the water industry. We have also had general discussions with individuals in the farming and mining industries who are interested in receiving freshwater supply from the Aquadam. It is imperative that Australia rises to the challenge of securing our precious water resource. Councils and governments must search for better long-term solutions for guaranteeing the supply of more freshwater to the population, rather than restricting the current supply. Key Points of the Aquadam
"The more radical the innovation, the more difficult it is to value, yet the
radical
innovation is often the one of greater value." (Professor Jonathan West of the New Australian Innovation & Research Centre) Aims and Objectives Background
"Thirty years ago, dams were wonders of modern engineering; today, dams
have been dubbed eco-killers." (The Australian Newspaper, July 2003) Currently, the 75,000 existing river-based dams in the world supply water for agriculture, industry and private needs from only one source: RAIN. Already in the past decade, the demand for freshwater has outstripped supply, causing devastating droughts. Many scientists and governments believe that for the next couple of generations, water supply will be the dominant issue to be resolved. Australia is the highest user of freshwater per capita in the world despite being the driest populated continent. Even in good seasons, governments struggle to adequately supply the water needs of the population. Throughout the world, people rely on only one primary source of water, namely rainfall. Clearly there will be a need to acquire water supplies from a combination of sources in order to meet the future demands for freshwater supply. 
The Project
The Aquadam project is focused on designing, developing and constructing an innovative large-scale dam for the collection, storage and distribution of freshwater. The water is collected from a combination of 4 different sources: The Aquadam is a sophisticated and integrated system with several components. The main component is a durable floating flexible membrane that can store a large volume of freshwater and is positioned in the ocean. The perimeter of the membrane would be attached to several flotation devices so that it remains buoyant and floats at sea level with the majority of the unit submerged as it fills and then it rises/falls with the tide.
Archimedes Principle: "An object partially or wholly immersed in a
fluid, is buoyed
up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object." 
The Aquadam structure would be ideally situated in the ocean between 2-5
kilometres offshore.
The entire system will be powered by renewable energy sources including solar power, wind power, wave power and tidal power. The collected water will be treated through a series of on-site filtration processes (primary, secondary and tertiary) to purify the water into freshwater. The primary and secondary stages would occur before the water is stored in the Aquadam main reservoir, and the tertiary stage would occur prior to distribution back to the mainland. Since stormwater and rainfall are both irregular and therefore unreliable, it is important that an emphasis is placed on the desalination operation within the whole process. Through on-site desalination, freshwater supplies can be guaranteed irrespective of changes in rainfall patterns during the seasons. There are notable advantages to positioning a desalination operation offshore as part of an integrated Aquadam system compared to desalination factories set up on land. Additional Information & Publications External Links Show your support for this environmentally responsible Australian venture. Comments, Suggestions and Support
© Copyright Unique Planet 2009.  |
||||||||||||||||||