Seven Seas Waterpark & Resort in the Philippines is a premier destination that combines thrilling aquatic adventures with top-notch amenities, creating an unforgettable experience for visitors of all ages. As one of the main attractions in Cagayan de Oro, this sprawling waterpark is renowned for its exhilarating rides, wave pools, and relaxing lazy rivers.
Central to Seven Seas’ commitment to excellence is their unwavering dedication to hygiene, water security, and cleanliness. The management places a high priority on maintaining pristine water conditions through rigorous filtration and disinfection processes, ensuring that all attractions meet the highest standards of safety and hygiene. By prioritising water quality and cleanliness, Seven Seas Waterpark & Resort ensures a safe, enjoyable, and worry-free environment for all guests.
It’s hard to believe that one of the country’s largest water parks has not changed its waters for the past three years, yet has managed to maintain water quality which meets mandated standards for safe drinking water. The water park management even went above and beyond to elevate their self-imposed grades with the introduction of further innovations in their water and wastewater treatment processes.
Challenges in Water Treatment
The waterpark treats its water on a 24-hour basis which enables it to reduce, reuse and recycle it without any discharge to the environment except for its backwash and evaporation loss. Initially, the park used sand filters to process every six hours the waters mainly from its Dual Wave Pool and Lazy River which have a combined volume of 3.3 million litres or 3, 300 cubic metres.
However, it had to build a 66 metre (200 feet) deep well some 500 metres from the shoreline after the limited water supply from the local city water district was swallowed up by the increasing population of the town.
Since the brackish water from the deep well was less than ideal due to salinity and detected coliform count, slight tint and turbidity, the resort had to install sand filters and chlorinate for preliminary filtration of bigger suspended solids.
Raw water was pumped up to two 5,000 litre water tanks for storage and distribution initially to two lines: one for in house treated potable water for the kitchens, washrooms and drinking fountains; and another for raw untreated water distributed to various pools and buildings for utility and various toilet facilities.
However, this process proved too costly for the resort’s potable water needs. Even the pool water sourced from the deep well required more preliminary treatment since it did not meet standards for turbidity. This initial processing was done in a settling tank built from a 40-ft container van where dispersed solids were allowed to settle by chemical process and the sediment was removed by a filter pump using diatomaceous earth, chlorine and muriatic acid to balance the pH.
This pre-treated water is then distributed to the machine rooms for another round of filtration via several sand filters. All pools within the park have separate machine rooms with huge sand filtration systems (1,800 litres) and chemical injection pumps.
Water Quality Issues, Inefficiency & High Costs
But this system proved too costly to maintain since the pumps had to be operated 24/7. Even the preliminary process of pre-treatment of raw deep well water added labour, electricity and chemical costs.
Aside from the expensive power bill, the frequent backwashing (every other day) of the sand filters resulted in significant water loss and the increased use of chemicals to sanitise and clean the pool waters.
Algae would form when chlorine levels were not maintained, along with pool sedimentation and water turbidity. Worse still, the sand filters frequently broke down due to high pressure generated by pumps resulting in delamination and leaking of fibreglass vessels.
Finding an Innovative Long-Term Solution
To address this myriad of issues, the resort installed a ‘proof-of-concept’ solution with a Regenerative Media filter using perlite media capable of filtering solids up to 1 micron in size, compared to the 30-50 microns for sand filters. Fully natural, lightweight and chemically inert, the perlite media offers a high performance, yet cost effective, method for the removal of microbes, bacteria, and suspended solids.
Results of the Perlite Filter™ to the Water Quality & Efficiency
Since its installation as a proof of concept for improving the water quality of the Lazy River, the Perlite Filter™ has been working well with minimal maintenance. Here are some of the key results found after installing the Perlite Filter™:
- Water wasted by backwashing decreased by 75%
- Chemicals used reduced by 50% (for solid/liquid chlorine & muriatic acid)
- Decreased usage of space previously occupied by the sand filters
- Lessened sedimentation, requiring less vacuuming and clean up, further reducing labour costs
- Almost 50% savings over previous electric bill
Explore the Benefits of the Perlite Filter™ with Hydro Nusantara
The implementation of the Perlite Filter™ at Seven Seas Waterpark & Resort has significantly enhanced water quality while achieving substantial cost savings. This innovative filtration solution has proven to be both efficient and economical, reducing the need for frequent maintenance and chemical treatments. The improved water clarity and hygiene have thus elevated the guest experience, reinforcing the resort’s commitment to providing a safe and enjoyable environment.
To explore how the Perlite Filter™ can benefit your facility, get in touch with our team today. Hydro Nusantara is ready to provide expert information and assistance in selecting the best water filtration solution for your needs. Take the next step towards achieving your sustainability goals through our superior water treatment management and cost efficiency with our cutting-edge solutions.
Information from this case study is quoted from Business Week Mindanao, published June 6 2023