Nine considerations when setting up an emergency water supply in remote locations
The further a mine, station, or construction site is from municipal infrastructure, the more difficult and expensive it gets to maintain operations and habitability.
In the harsh, arid corners of the Outback, having sufficient water reserves for basic hydration and sanitation can already be a serious challenge. Add the demands of operations, firefighting, and critical dust suppression in dry environments, and it becomes clear how important it is to be able to deploy and access water at a moment’s notice.
Setting up a reliable water source in any remote area thus demands thoughtful planning as well as an appreciation of the problems that need to be solved. As a rule, remote work sites need solutions that need minimal maintenance, can be moved wherever they’re needed, and are adaptable to changing operational conditions.
With that said, let’s delve into the key considerations operations managers must look into when establishing an emergency water supply in remote areas.
1) Portability of equipment
Remote work sites are seldom static, and some degree of mobility is often necessary. If this is the case with your operations, choose components that are easy to transport and reposition. Portable standpipes and pumping systems, for example, will allow a quick fill of water carts close to where your operations are, even as you move locations from week to week.
2) Accessibility of source water
Different sites will have different challenges sourcing water. Occasionally, you can depend on a nearby reservoir or a borehole for more general needs and have water for hydration and sanitation trucked in. Other times, your entire water supply may have to be delivered by truck.
Regardless, your equipment choices must align with the distance, pressure needs, and reliability of that source. Tools like portable standpipes can be paired with specialised pump systems to deliver water efficiently even from low-pressure sources, allowing you to minimise the amount of water that needs to be delivered from further out.
3) Flow rate needs
Different applications call for different water pressures and volumes. Dust suppression, for instance, requires steady flow over a large area, while decontamination may need only short bursts at high pressure. Delivery systems with precise control over output is therefore the more versatile choice, enabling them to be used for applications demanding different flow rates.
4) Resilience in harsh conditions
High UV exposure, heat, wind, and corrosive atmospheres are all present in the Australian Outback, making it important for your water delivery systems to perform well under these conditions. This makes tough, corrosion-resistant materials such as treated aluminium or polyethene more desirable in these conditions than traditional steel and cast iron. As a bonus, these lightweight materials also simplify setup.
5) Rapid deployment
In relation to the previous point, during an emergency, there’s no time to assemble a complex water system from scratch. Modular, lightweight, equipment can help reduce response time and avoid dependence on highly specialised personnel, both important considerations in remote work sites.
6) Low-maintenance operation
Remote sites may have limited access to technicians or spare parts, making it important for emergency water supply systems to be as maintenance-free as possible.
Since reliability is more crucial for these sites, equipment with simple mechanical operation, minimal moving parts, and clear maintenance protocols are generally more desirable, even at the cost of some more advanced functions. Some systems may also include tamper-resistant fittings to reduce necessary upkeep, which may be useful if a site has to be abandoned temporarily.
7) Sufficient storage capacity
If water must be stored onsite rather than drawn continuously, tank volumes need to be large enough to cope with emergency scenarios. Consider how quickly your reserves might be depleted in an emergency and whether your delivery infrastructure (including standpipes and pumps) can connect easily to container tanks or self-bunded systems that would be brought in.
8) Compatibility with standardised fire safety equipment
Some remote work sites may be legally required to have emergency firefighting capabilities, including water infrastructure with connections similar to those used in urban firefighting. Standpipes and trucks with compliant infrastructure can reduce the complications that emergency personnel may have to go through to effectively put out a fire.
9) Regulatory compliance
Water delivery systems used in fire safety and mining must often meet specific pressure ratings or safety standards. Choose systems tested to meet Australian specifications, especially if they are intended for potable water, chemical transfer, or regulated safety applications.
Planning ahead means staying ahead
It’s hard to overstate the importance of a credible emergency water supply setup in remote operations. Planning for contingencies and selecting fuss-free, portable equipment like well-designed standpipes can help keep your operations safe, compliant, and uninterrupted.
Not all water infrastructure is built the same way, so it helps to take a closer look at the equipment options available and align them with your site’s specific requirements. At distant sites with limited resources, this forethought can save lives, even as it keeps daily operations running smoothly.
