THE Western Cape Government has turned its Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEA&DP) building into a flagship of sustainable water management in Cape Town’s CBD.
Amid the water crisis that brought “Day Zero” dangerously close in 2018, the government revamped the building with a cutting-edge wastewater treatment system to slash potable water use and sewage output by 50%.
A model for sustainable water usage
The DEA&DP building now boasts the Fusion Wastewater Treatment Plant by Maskam Water, a state-of-the-art system designed to recycle wastewater for non-potable uses.
The plant treats effluent to flush toilets, ensuring uninterrupted operations even during municipal water outages. Not only has this system bolstered the building’s water resilience, but it also curbs costs by reducing reliance on municipal water and cutting sewage discharge fees.
The installation marked a turning point in the city’s response to ongoing drought conditions. The project demonstrated how commercial buildings in urban centres could adopt compact, efficient, and odour-free solutions to address water scarcity without sacrificing convenience.
Each Fusion is a fully operational plant. Should one plant go down for whatever reason, 75% of the treatment capacity remains available.
The Early Warning System monitors the mechanical workings of the plant. In case of a failure, it notifies the user via an audible siren and strobe light. Panel lights indicate the exact cause of failure, allowing proactive action before an environmental crisis arises.
Additionally, remote monitoring through GSM or a Building Management System (BMS) is available, as is the case with the DEA&DP installation, where the audible alarm has been deactivated in favour of BMS-based monitoring.
Fusion System: How it works
The Fusion system incorporates advanced treatment stages:
- Anaerobic digestion to begin breaking down waste.
- Anoxic treatment for additional filtration.
- Aeration using a Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor to reduce organic content and treat ammonia.
- Denitrification and phosphate reduction for nutrient management.
- Sludge recycling to ensure efficient processing even during low inflow periods.
- Final clarifying of the treated effluent before discharge.
- Clarification and disinfection for clean, reusable water.
With features like six-month service intervals, a four-year sludge removal cycle, and redundancy that maintains 75% capacity even if one unit fails, the Fusion system ensures seamless performance with minimal maintenance.
Tackling installation challenges
Installing the plant in the heart of the city came with challenges. Limited access to the site necessitated creative planning, including splitting the system into four smaller units to fit within a confined courtyard. Despite these hurdles, the system became fully operational in March 2019, showcasing resilience and innovation in overcoming urban infrastructure constraints.
A future-ready solution
The DEA&DP building now uses 100% reclaimed water for toilet flushing, making it a model for ESG compliance and water resilience in high-density urban environments. The system also integrates smart monitoring via a Building Management System (BMS), providing real-time alerts to preempt potential issues.
Why it matters
This case study underscores the potential of wastewater treatment technologies in tackling pressing environmental challenges. For businesses aiming to reduce water usage and meet sustainability goals, the Fusion system offers a viable, cost-saving solution.
For more information: http://www.maskamwater.com/
