Ski resort turning human waste into pure snow
Beyond 2000
Ski resorts arent just playgrounds for the rich and idle. Relying as they do on the natural environment, its not uncommon for true ski aficionados to also do a nice line in conservation awareness.
Such is the case at the Australian ski resort of Mount Buller near Melbourne in the countrys south. Operators at the resort have recently completed trials that convert human waste into pristine, pure white, ski-able snow.
The resort has an amazing 7500 beds, which all adds up to a lot of visitors making a lot of human waste. Converting this into snow seemed a logical step.
Waste from resort is converted into usable water in two ways, both at a recycling plant for initial treatment, and then separately through a three-step purifying process of UV light filtration, ozonation and ultra-filtration. The final ultra-filtration step removes all suspended solids from the liquid including all biological matter, alive or dead. The resulting water is even free of viruses, bacteria and spores from cryptosporidium or giardia. The treated wastewater is then used in conjunction with meltwater and creekwater from surrounding areas to create snow.
David Westphalen from the Mt Buller Resort management board believes the snow that is made from the treated waste to be even cleaner than that made from nearby creek water. Itll be talking the resorts regulars into skiing on the remains of their own waste that will be the real challenge.
In this area, David thinks the resort will have to put in some hard yards in the marketing department. I think, though, that the Australian people are mature enough to realise that the scheme makes sense, he adds. Australians are naturally concerned about the environment, and once they are aware that the snow made from this process is safe, I dont think they will be against the idea. He also points out that many golf courses and playing fields are already irrigated from recycled waste water, without incident.
At the moment, extra snow that the resort creates to extend the ski season is pumped from surrounding creeks. While this water is perfectly good, it often contains suspended matter from wildlife in the area. The treated wastewater would have all solids removed..
Just icing on the slopes
The resort management team is already very environmentally conscious. These recent trials are only one of many ways the resort is looking to use their environment efficiently, and make as little impact on it as possible. Already there are recycling programmes in place, and all waste generated from visitors is suitably treated before entering creeks or other waterways.
The results of the tests are ready to be approved. Once the government gives the green light and sufficient funds are raised, David believes the scheme will be ready to implement, and should be up and running in three to four years.
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Posted by: Paul on January 30, 2003 at 14:12:22