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NZWETA website and e-newsletter launch
Hello
Welcome to our first NZWETA e-newsletter, we are also delighted to introduce our new website offering significant improvements in course information, useful advice, the ability to enrol online, and request further information.
This e-newsletter will be our primary communication to you introducing upcoming courses and events and offering technical and informational articles of interest in the water sector.
It may surprise many that in 2006 we delivered training to more than 1200 participants from national recognised certificates and diplomas to technical short courses.
Our student base is extensive covering treatment plant operators and technicians, reticulation contractors, local authority and consulting engineers, regulators, compliance officers, swimming pool staff, school caretakers and parent helpers who look after school pools, defence force personnel, District Health Board Drinking-Water Assessors, hoteliers, hospital personnel and many others.
There are also many new initiatives planned to ensure the website and our communication reflects the water industry and our loyal customer base. Watch this space.
The most important point about this launch is that we will now be able to communicate directly to our customer database through the monthly e-newsletter, emails and the website. We welcome your feedback and professional interest and expertise.
Jonathan Mackey
NZWETA Manager
Training in the water industry – a short history
by Bert Gray, Principal Training Consultant, Opus Environmental Training Centre
Opus Environmental Training Centre (ETC) delivered training to approximately 1200 students in 2006, carrying on a legacy of training in this industry that began many years ago.
The students include water and wastewater treatment plant operators and technicians, water and wastewater reticulation personnel, swimming pool staff, contractors, District Health Board Drinking Water Assessors, Local Authority managers, regulators, compliance officers, defence force personnel, school caretakers and parent volunteers looking after school pools, and many others.
Most seek recognition through unit standard based training (94%) with Water Industry National Certificates and Diplomas, or just one or more unit standards that cover aspects of the industry which recognizes the skills covered in training delivery. In this article we outline where we have come from and importantly, where are we going? More...
On-site Wastewater Management in New Zealand Wastewater Servicing Practice
By Ian Gunn, academic and professional engineer.
On-site wastewater servicing has traditionally been associated with septic tank and soakage trench systems as a temporary measure in urban fringe, rural residential or holiday area development. The expectation is that on-site wastewater systems will have a short life, will eventually clog up and fail, and thus inevitably require connection to a sewerage system.
This traditional perception is currently being turned around by the availability of modern technologies together with new standards and practices for investigation, design, construction, operation, maintenance and monitoring. This is driven by a focus on management of the implementation and approval processes for design and installation, followed up by operation, maintenance and performance monitoring procedures all delivered by well informed and trained practitioners. More...
Under Pressure
By Dr Jonathan Morris
Excessive pressure can promote premature system failure so using the right pipes for the job is an important part of design and installation.
Pressure pipe design is based around the maximum pressure that the system is expected to see in service so it is important to account for the important loads and pressures. Although ignoring loads can result in failures, being over-cautious can result in unnecessary costs for more expensive pipes and fittings. More...
Sampling – “It affects everyone”
By Ian Couling
Collect representative samples
Now, whether dealing with water or any other material, incorrect sampling can be minor (value for money) to life-threatening (contaminated product) or costing millions. Incorrectly collected samples are far too easy to obtain. Whether sampling manually or using automatic equipment, uncertainties in test results may arise. One common problem is incorrect preservation and/or leaving the sample too long resulting in deterioration, loss of volatile compounds, settling of decomposition of organic material, etc. Or, more simply, the sample is contaminated. More...
Learning at the coalface
By Kirsten Collins
Out of my cellphone’s range and more than 50 kms from some of the end-users of the water it produces, the Wainuiomata Water Treatment plant is a key site visit for students of the Environmental Training Centre’s National Certificate in Water Treatment course, offered through the NZWETA (NZ Water and Environment Training Academy) joint venture.
Joining 12 students from around New Zealand, during one of their two week theory study blocks in Gracefield near Wellington, along with two of their tutors, Danny Allen and Sarah Cresswell, I got to see ‘behind the scenes’ at the plant and learn a little more about where my tap water comes from. More...
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