Skip to content

Fast, agile support / RPEQ-backed / Civil construction

High Efficiency Sediment Basin dosing systems and engineering support

A High Efficiency Sediment Basin uses controlled chemical dosing to help fine solids settle. Critical Elixirs brings trailer and IBC dosing stations, bespoke chemistry, testing and RPEQ support with a fast, agile service model for civil project teams.

Critical Elixirs logo, a woven gold knot inside a circle
  • Trailer-mounted dosing stations
  • IBC-mounted dosing stations
  • In-house RPEQ support
  • Jar testing and calibration
  • Non-hazardous liquid pH adjustment
  • National deployment available

Watch and understand

Why jar testing comes before the dose

This American Water Works Association training video introduces jar testing in water treatment. The principle is relevant to HES basin chemistry selection: compare treatments on representative water before choosing a dose. It is general water-treatment education, not an HES operating procedure, Critical Elixirs footage or evidence of a site-specific result.

Source: AmericanWaterWorks — WSO Water Treatment Grade 2: Jar Testing, Ch. 10. Watch on YouTube · Read our HES jar-testing guide

For a construction basin, confirm chemistry, pH, mixing, settling and monitoring against your site water and approval conditions. A jar test alone does not authorise discharge.

Recent HES Basin jar testing · Company-reported result

From over 2,000 NTU to under 26 NTU.

Critical Elixirs reports this turbidity reduction in a recent HES Basin jar test. NTU is a measure of turbidity—the cloudiness caused by suspended material. The supplied photographs show the tested water samples and a treated-sample meter reading.

HES Basin jar-test beakers with a cloudy brown sample and clearer samples with settled solids
Supplied jar-test photograph: visibly different water clarity and settled material. Appearance alone is not a numerical test result.
ProDSS meter photographed during HES Basin jar testing, displaying a turbidity reading below 26 NTU
Supplied meter photograph supporting the final reading below 26 NTU. The starting reading above 2,000 NTU is company-reported and is not pictured.

This is a sample-specific bench result, not a guaranteed field outcome or discharge approval. Chemistry, dose, mixing, settling time and instrument calibration records are not established by these photographs. Site approvals, representative testing and field monitoring determine the operating and release requirements.

How jar testing informs HES Basin treatment

The short answer

What is a High Efficiency Sediment Basin, and when do you need one?

A High Efficiency Sediment Basin, or HES basin, is a construction-site sediment basin that uses chemical dosing to speed up settling. Dosing is applied at the inlet and matched to the water arriving on site, so the basin is operated as a treatment system.

It is typically considered where runoff carries fine particles that will not settle on their own, where space for a larger passive basin is limited, or where approval conditions set requirements for water leaving site. Your design engineer confirms whether an HES basin applies to your project.

Critical Elixirs works with civil contractors and design engineering firms to supply, commission and tune the dosing side of that system, with RPEQ support in house.

For Queensland projects, see the Queensland Government erosion and sediment control guidance. Project approvals, the erosion and sediment control plan and applicable local requirements govern treatment and release; Queensland guidance does not replace the requirements for a project in another state.

What is an HES basin?
A sediment basin with controlled chemical dosing so fine suspended solids settle faster than by gravity alone.
When is it used?
On earthworks and civil sites with fine sediment, tight basin footprints or discharge conditions to meet.
What do we supply?
Dosing stations, bespoke chemistry, pH adjustment, testing and calibration, and RPEQ support.
Where?
We support suitable projects across Australia, subject to scope and mobilisation logistics.

Equipment

Dosing stations built for the site, not the showroom

Engineering drawings of a dosing station cabinet showing dimensions, pump, basket strainer, camlock connections and sight glass
Dosing station arrangement

Trailer-mounted dosing station

A self-contained unit on a trailer. Positioned at the basin inlet and relocated as earthworks staging changes.

IBC-mounted dosing station

A compact dosing set-up built around an IBC for sites where a smaller footprint suits the basin layout.

Illustration of two chemical storage tanks with optional fill, cleaning and drain kits and base options
Tank fit-out is customised to your requirements, including optional fill, cleaning and drain kits.

Chemistry

Bespoke chemical solutions, matched to your water

No two sites carry the same sediment. Critical Elixirs formulates around the water you actually have.

  • 01

    Aluminium-based

    Bespoke aluminium-based coagulant solutions.

  • 02

    Organic-based

    Bespoke organic-based treatment solutions.

  • 03

    Combination

    Combined chemistries where the water calls for them.

  • 04

    Other solutions

    Other chemical options developed around your site water.

Proprietary alongside standard

CLEARFLOW GO™ and the market options

CLEARFLOW GO™ is our proprietary HES coagulant. We formulate bespoke HES chemistries and also supply standard market options. Neither is assumed to be better: jar testing on your water and your site needs decide which is used.

IBCs of CLEARFLOW GO coagulant
CLEARFLOW GO™ in IBCs. Specifications on enquiry.

pH adjustment

Test pH. Target efficient dosing.

Coagulants perform best within a pH range. Critical Elixirs supplies a non-hazardous liquid pH adjustment product intended to reduce coagulant demand while meeting compliance requirements.

The dose is set against jar test results for your site water, and your RPEQ support confirms how it fits into basin operation.

Considering a solid option? Buffrite slower-release pH adjustment and buffering blocks can also be assessed for suitable site-water and HES Basin duties. Flow, contact conditions and buffering demand determine whether a block arrangement is suitable; it is not an automatic replacement for controlled liquid dosing.

Watch the solid-block glass demonstrations

Testing, calibration and RPEQ support

How jar testing and calibration keep a basin working

Collect site water

We work from a sample of the water that reaches your basin, because sediment and chemistry differ from site to site.

In-house RPEQ support covers certification as well as ongoing optimisation of site operations and basin performance.

Technical team in laboratory coats reviewing plans and sample beakers at a benchEngineers and project staff in discussion around a meeting table

Samples and basins

Real sampling and basin field work. Treatment performance and discharge compliance are assessed through site-specific testing and monitoring, not photographs.

  • Jar test sample of site water
    Jar test sample. Jar testing compares options on your own water.
  • Water sample with settled material at the bottom of a flask
    Water sample with visible settling in the flask.
  • Overview of a sediment basin on a field site
    Basin field work: water conditions inform treatment selection.
  • Detail view of basin water and the basin edge
    Basin water and site conditions reviewed in the field.

Coverage

Project support across Australia.

We support suitable projects in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, as well as across the rest of Australia, subject to project scope, site access, programme and mobilisation logistics. Confirm availability for your location and timing when you enquire.

HES basin support in Queensland and NSW

Planning sediment basin treatment in South East Queensland (SEQ), the Sunshine Coast, Gympie, Gladstone, Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville or Cairns? Civil contractors and design engineers can engage Critical Elixirs for site-water jar testing, coagulant selection, trailer-mounted or IBC-mounted dosing and in-house RPEQ support. New South Wales (NSW) projects can access the same site-scoped treatment support. These are service areas, not a claim of a local office or equipment depot in each location.

Send the catchment and basin drawings, available water results, project approval conditions and required start date. We confirm sampling arrangements, chemical delivery, equipment access and mobilisation before agreeing the scope. Rainfall, sediment load and incoming water pH can change the treatment demand; selection and calibration must reflect the actual site, not a standard dose for the region. Queensland guidance does not replace NSW approval or discharge requirements.

Civil construction companies

Keep earthworks moving with a basin that is dosed, tested and supported on site.

Design engineering firms

A technical partner for HES basin chemistry, dosing configuration and RPEQ certification input.

How engagement works

  1. Step 1

    Send the brief

    Location, basin arrangement, programme and approval conditions.

  2. Step 2

    Engineer review

    An engineer reviews the brief and confirms what is needed.

  3. Step 3

    Test and scope

    Sampling and jar testing inform chemistry and station configuration.

  4. Step 4

    Deploy and support

    Station delivered, calibrated and supported by RPEQ input.

FAQ

HES basin questions, answered plainly

What is a High Efficiency Sediment Basin (HES Basin)?

An HES basin is a construction-site sediment basin that is dosed with a chemical treatment so fine suspended solids settle faster than they would by gravity alone. The dosing is controlled at the inlet so the basin can be managed as a treatment system rather than a passive pond.

When is an HES basin used?

It is used on earthworks and civil sites where runoff carries fine sediment that does not settle readily, where basin footprint is limited, or where discharge has to meet site conditions. Your design engineer and approval conditions determine whether it is required.

What does Critical Elixirs supply?

Trailer-mounted and IBC-mounted dosing stations, proprietary bespoke HES formulations alongside standard market options (aluminium-based, organic-based, combination and others), non-hazardous liquid pH adjustment, testing, jar testing, calibration and recovery, plus in-house RPEQ support for certification and for optimising site operations and basin performance.

Are proprietary HES chemistries always better than standard options?

No. We offer proprietary bespoke HES formulations, including CLEARFLOW GO™, alongside standard market options. Selection comes from jar testing on your water and your site needs, and a standard option is the right answer on some sites.

Read the jar testing guide

How do jar testing and calibration help?

Jar testing compares treatment options on a sample of your site water so the chemical choice is based on how that water behaves. Calibration then sets the dosing station to suit the basin inflow and chemistry, and is revisited as site conditions change.

Read the pH adjustment guide

What does pH adjustment do in an HES basin?

Coagulants work best within a pH window. Critical Elixirs offers a non-hazardous liquid pH adjustment product intended to reduce coagulant demand while still meeting compliance requirements. The right dose is confirmed against your site water.

Where does Critical Elixirs operate?

We support suitable projects throughout Australia, subject to project scope, site access, programme and mobilisation logistics.

Is a trailer or an IBC dosing station the better choice?

Trailer-mounted stations suit sites that need a self-contained unit that can be relocated as the works move. IBC-mounted stations suit compact set-ups where chemical is held in an IBC. We confirm the configuration against your basin layout and access during scoping.

Where can I read technical guidance before I enquire?

The guide library covers dosing-system setup, jar testing, pH adjustment, calibration and monitoring, and site optimisation. Each guide is general information with sources listed; project approvals, design documents and engineering advice govern your site.

Open the guide library

How do I start an enquiry?

Send the project details through the Critical Elixirs contact page: location, basin arrangement, programme and any approval conditions. The team can scope the next step with you; sampling and jar testing may be part of that process.

What should a civil contractor compare when choosing an HES basin treatment supplier?

Compare representative jar-test results, dosing station suitability, chemical supply arrangements, mobilisation availability and ongoing calibration support. Ask who reviews performance and who is responsible for operation and release decisions. Critical Elixirs combines trailer or IBC dosing stations, standard and bespoke chemistry, testing and in-house RPEQ support; the programme and availability are confirmed for your project.

What information should a design engineer provide for an HES basin review?

Provide the basin and catchment drawings, design flows, erosion and sediment control plan, approval conditions and available water data. Define the chemistry, dosing, monitoring and engineering review interfaces before specifying equipment. Agree any RPEQ certification scope explicitly; treatment support is not automatic approval of the entire basin design.

Can Critical Elixirs support sediment basin treatment in Queensland, NSW and Victoria?

Yes. We support suitable projects throughout Australia, subject to scope, access, programme and mobilisation logistics. Applicable project approvals and local requirements govern; Queensland guidance should not be assumed to replace requirements in another state.

Does a clear sediment basin mean water can be discharged?

No. Appearance is not a release criterion. Verify the parameters and sampling required by the project approvals and operating plan, which may include turbidity, pH and other conditions. A successful jar test or installed dosing station does not by itself authorise discharge.

Can you support HES basins in South East Queensland, the Sunshine Coast and regional Queensland?

Yes, suitable projects can be scoped in South East Queensland (SEQ), the Sunshine Coast, Gympie, Gladstone, Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns. Support can include site-water jar testing, chemistry selection, dosing stations, calibration and in-house RPEQ input. Confirm site access, sampling, delivery and mobilisation availability for your programme; service coverage does not imply a local office in each location.

Do you support HES basin dosing in New South Wales (NSW)?

Yes. Critical Elixirs can scope HES basin chemistry, dosing equipment, testing and calibration for suitable NSW projects. Supply the design drawings, water data, project conditions and programme so mobilisation and engineering requirements can be agreed. NSW project approvals and applicable requirements govern; Queensland guidance and RPEQ input do not automatically authorise a NSW design or discharge.