Queensland still ‘well away’ from tapping recycled water
Queensland’s water minister says residents are ‘well away’ from having recycled wastewater added to their drinking supplies.
Queenslanders are “well away” from having recycled wastewater added to their drinking supplies as the government continues to deal with the implications of severe drought, a minister has claimed.
Southeast Queensland’s water operator, Seqwater, is to begin recommissioning a network of treatment plants capable of producing and delivering purified recycled wastewater now that the region’s combined dam levels have dropped below 60 per cent. Seqwater’s plan is for those plants, known as the Western Corridor Recycled Water Scheme, to be brought online once dam levels reach 40 per cent.
Natural Resources Minister Anthony Lynham played down any need to start preparing residents for the possibility that recycled water may be added to their drinking supply.
Asked if the government should start planning for the introduction of purified recycled water, he said “we’re well away from that”. “We are not really thinking about it at all,’’ he said.
As the drought affecting much of the state shows no sign of abating, the government also this week ramped up production at its desalination plant on the Gold Coast and launched an investigation into building a pipeline linking the Wivenhoe Dam to the Leslie Dam near Warwick to guarantee supplies to that community of 15,000 residents.
If the pipeline goes ahead, it would effectively extend Seqwater’s reach to the Darling Downs and Granite Belt, nearly 200km west of Brisbane.
Dr Lynham said the decision to ramp up production at the desalination plant at Tugun was triggered by combined dam levels falling to below 60 per cent.
However, the 60 per cent level is also the trigger for Seqwater to start recommissioning the mothballed Western Corridor Recycled Water Scheme, which is capable of producing 180 million litres a day, or about 20 per cent of current demand.
Dr Lynham said industry was likely to be the first customer for recycled water.
The Beattie government built the $6.9bn water grid in response to the Millennium Drought, which severely depleted supplies.
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