Alternatives to the Outfall

News Reports – Recycled water from reclaimed wastewater services in Australia
The use of reclaimed water – the non-potable reuse of treated wastewater for irrigation of green spaces, golf courses, agricultural crops or industrial uses – is common and increasing in Australia.
Among the 20 largest water utilities in Australia, the largest volume of recycled water supplied was by SA Water in Adelaide (25,047 ML or 29.6% of sewage collected), while the lowest volume of recycled water was by ACTEW in Canberra (2,104 ML or 7.4% of sewage collected).[2]
Water Sector News – 2.9.2013 Newly open recycled water plant will preserve drinking water for Geelong
A new Class A recycled water plant at Black Rock will save the greater Geelong region almost 3,000 million litres of drinking water. The $42m high-tech facility will provide residents with high quality recycled water for non-drinking purposes like washing cars, watering gardens and flushing toilets. (Premier of Victoria)
AWA Water News for week ending 21 May 2006: NSW Government released a consultation paper on its proposed ACCESS REGIME to replace the Competition Tribunal’s declaration for 3rd party access to Sydney’s sewerage system. It includes the licensing of organisations to deliver reticulated drinking water, recycled water and wastewater services. For SYDNEY and HUNTER WATER. Submissions due by 2 June. This consultation is a welcome step. (Website)
AWA Water News for week ending 7 May 2006: Sydney’s water supply is assured until 2015 according to NSW Premier Lemma who is unveiling Sydney’s METROPOLITAN WATER PLAN. The central plank of the plan is the Western Sydney Recycling Initiative to recycle 100 % of wastewater (27 billion litres) from Penrith, St Marys & Quakers Hill sewerage treatment plants. (Website)
Sydney’s METROPOLITAN WATER PLAN. to recycle wastewater Penrith, St Marys & Quakers Hill sewerage treatment plants.
AWA A newly patented MEMBRANE BIOREACTOR technology invented by ANSTO scientist Dr Tony Taylor can cheaply make sewerage and wastewater clean enough to drink and he claims, could cut water use by 60%. (PDF) .
AWA Water News for week ending 16 July 2006: GOULBURN – leading Australia in water conservation or a toilet-to-tap town? It all depends on how you look at it but for Goulburn Mulwaree Council, spin could play a big part in the success or failure of an ambitious $40 million plan to recycle the city’s sewage. (Website)

  1. IPART, NSW Pricing Regulator, has released a Draft recommendation on prices and charges for RECYCLED water and sewer mining for households by SYDNEY WATER, HUNTER WATER, GOSFORD City and WYONG Councils. (PDF) Goulburn Mulwaree Council plan to recycle the city’s sewage
    AWA Water News for week ending 23 July 2006 – In making a call for governments to rethink urban water use practices, PM John Howard called for increased projects for water recycling and stormwater capture. (Website)
    AWA Water News for week ending 6 August 2006: Prime Minister Howard has re-iterated his support for water recycling and called its wide-spread adoption as inevitable. Australian Financial Review, August 3, p4
    AWA Water News for week ending 27 August 2006: A mix of CLIMATE CHANGE, drought and loss of wetlands that store water, along with poorly planned water infrastructure and resource mismanagement, is making water crises global events and no longer the problem of only the poorest nations, according to a recent report. (PDF)
    AWA Water News for week ending 10 September 2006
  2. SYDNEY Water’s plans for a new STP to treat wastewater to highest quality and a RECYCLED WATER scheme to cater for 2000 dwellings at APPIN, NSW is open for public comment. (Website)
  3. The feasibility plan for a GIPPSLAND WATER ALLIANCE plan to divert 115 billion litres of wastewater from ocean outfall for recycling and reuse by industry has received approval and will now proceed to the next stage. (Website) (Website 2)
    AWA Water News for week ending 17 September 2006 – The VICTORIAN Govt will jointly fund an $1.18m ASR feasibility study by Barwon Water for storing RECYCLED WATER in an underground aquifer for potential redraw and use by industry and agriculture to help secure water supplies for the GEELONG area. (Website)
    AWA Water News for week ending 24 September 2006
  4. IPART (Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal) has released its pricing for RECYCLED WATER in NSW to apply from 1 January 2007 for Hunter Water and Gosford City Council and 1 July 2007 for Sydney Water and Wyong Shire Council. Usage prices for recycled water at Rouse Hill will be progressively increased so as to equal 80% drinking water usage charge; the fixed charge will be reduced to $10.28 p.a. by 1 July 2008. (PDF)
     Victorian Water Minister Thwaites has issued assurances that Melbourne’s WATER is SAFE to drink amid concerns that treated sewage is discharged into one of the Yarra River’s tributary creeks upstream of where river water is pumped into the Sugarloaf reservoir supplying
    AWA Water News for week ending 1 October 2006: Four consortia have been short-listed and asked to tender for design and construction of Sydney Water’s advanced water treatment plant, associated infrastructure and its maintenance for at least 10 years as part of the WESTERN SYDNEY RECYCLED WATER INITIATIVE, a key plank in the NSW Government’s Metropolitan Water Plan. (Website)
    AWA Water News for week ending 8 October 2006: Joint venture partners JOHN HOLLAND and TENIX ALLIANCE have been awarded the $113m contract to develop the MACKAY WATER RECYCLING project at Bakers Creek, part of a total project valued around $150m for which the Australian Government has committed $43.34m. (Website)
    AWA Water News for week ending 15 October 2006
  5. Sydney Water has awarded a contract to John Holland Pty Ltd to further expand Australia’s largest residential recycled water plant at Rouse Hill. The ROUSE HILL Recycled Water Plant began operating in 2001. The $52 million contract will see its capacity double. (Website)
  6. Hunt Club residents in Cranbourne East have become the first Victorians to be supplied with recycled water from South East Water. Around 1200 homes at the estate will eventually be connected to recycled water, saving about 200 million litres of drinking water each year. (Website 1) (Website 2)
    AWA Water News for week ending 22 October 2006 – A campaign for a major recycling project to boost BENDIGO’s water supply by 4300 ML/yr. The $31m project will substitute high quality recycled water for drinking water in agricultural use, rural channel systems, for environmental flows in the Campaspe River, and for use on parks and gardens. (Website)
    AWA Water News for week ending 29 October 2006: In 2007, the ESSENTIAL SERVICES COMMISSION will commence a review of the prices to apply to water and sewerage services provided by Victoria’s 20 water businesses for the second regulatory period. Each water business is required to submit a Water Plan for the regulatory period commencing 1 July 2008. Details and requirements (Website)
    End 15.5.2019