ENG1012 | Engineering Design
2025 Semester 1 | Tender Submission: Project Brief
1 DELIVERY FRAMEWORK
1.1 CONTEXT
Water is more than just a resource we use; it's a critical resource that we are all responsible for. As humans, we use water and create wastewater, but we also play a role in the water scarcity that's exacerbated by climate change. Droughts and floods are not merely just environmental events; they are challenges that require proactive management rather than solely relying on reactive responses.
From sourcing the water and ensuring that it is safe to use, to collecting the wastewater and treating it to create products safe for reuse and protecting our environment; it is a collective effort of many people that make this all possible. Engineers in the water industry are one key component of this wider group, and their role is crucial in enabling this water cycle.
This activity highlights the role engineers play in managing the ever-changing nature of Earth’s climate and its impact on the water cycle. Particularly, this task focusses on multi-disciplinary engineering teams in ensuring sustainable water management, providing students with insight into engineering careers that is dedicated to serving the client and ultimately the community, both presently and for years to come.
In doing so, South East Water (SEW) and CMP Consulting Group (CMP) aim to provide an industry-inspired project to students simulating certain aspects of what professional water engineers experience on a daily basis.
The fundamental problem to be solved is that Lang Lang Water Recycling Plant (WRP) is reaching its capacity due to local population growth and increasing climate-change demands. Without a solution, the flow entering the plant will exceed the amount of water discharged to the community. The challenge for students is to sustainably present a solution for this problem and ensure a long-lasting design that accommodates for future growth.
This project covers key engineering aspects such as technical proficiency, critical thinking and teamwork skills. In doing so, students will gain insight into the responsibilities, innovation, and problem-solving skills required to make a real difference in society.
This document, the Project Brief, aims to supply students with all the key knowledge and understanding required to make a start on this project. Furthermore, the document seeks to introduce students to key concepts related to reading, understanding, and working off a project brief in a similar manner to what is done in the professional industry, thereby preparing them for real-world scenarios.
For information on how engineering projects are approached in the professional workplace, please refer to the “Professional Engineering Guide”. It is strongly advised that students understand that document prior to the delivery of this project.
2 BACKGROUND INFORMATION
2.1 CLIENT BACKGROUND (SOUTH EAST WATER)
South East Water is one of Melbourne’s state-owned metropolitan water retailers. They provide water, sewage, trade waste and recycled water services for residents and businesses in Melbourne’s southeast, located in the state of Victoria, Australia (Figure 2-1).
More than 1.75 million people including more than 743,000 residential water customers are serviced by South East Water, as well as more than 55,000 non-residential water customers.
In a region spanning 3,640 square kilometres, last year South East Water delivered 135 billion litres of drinking water, 5.5 billion litres of recycled water and collected 125 billion litres of sewage. They are responsible for $4 billion of assets and manage more than 25,250 kilometres of pipeline to deliver our services.
South East Water is driven by its vision to provide healthy water for life, and is committed to providing customers with safe, affordable and sustainable integrated water solutions that are both resilient and adaptable to change.
For further information regarding South East Water please visit
www.southeastwater.com.au.
Figure 2-1: South East Water Network.
3 LOCAL SEWERAGE SYSTEM BACKGROUND
Lang Lang (LL), Koo Wee Rup (KWR) and Poowong, Loch and Nyora (PLN), have dedicated sewerage assets for the conveyance and treatment of wastewater. South East Water is responsible for water and sewerage services located in LL and KWR, with South Gippsland Water (SGW) responsible for PLN.
Figure 3-1: Site locality plan.
Figure 3-2: Sewerage System Schematic Diagram
3.1 LANG LANG WATER RECYCLING PLANT BACKGROUND
An aerial image of the Lang Lang Water Recycling Plant can be seen in Figure 2-4. This image shows the sewage treatment plant (STP), comprising of the inlet works and activated sludge plant, and the recycled water treatment plant (RWTP), consisting of disinfection processes. The lagoons on the right-hand side are for disinfection for Class C water, and the lagoon on the left-hand side is for storage of Class C recycled water during periods of low usage. Also shown are the onsite tree lots that are irrigated with Class C recycled water.
Figure 3-3: Lang Lang WRP Aerial Image.
3.2 UNIT OPERATIONS
Figure 3-4: Lang Lang WRP Activated Sludge Plant process flow diagram.
Figure 3-5: Lang Lang WRP Recycled Water Treatment Plant process flow diagram.