Port Macquarie Hastings Council (PMHC) has taken an important step towards a more sustainable and water-secure future, with recycled water now flowing to connected homes in Lake Cathie and Bonny Hills for the first time.
PMHC activated the residential recycled water network on Wednesday 30 September, allowing connected households to use recycled water instead of drinking water for everyday activities including flushing toilets, washing clothes, watering gardens and washing cars.
PMHC Director Community Utilities David Holland said the switch-on followed extensive preparation, testing and compliance work to ensure recycled water could be safely supplied to connected properties.
"Recycled water takes water that has already been used in our community and, through advanced treatment, turns it into a valuable resource that can be safely used again," Mr Holland said.
"The recycled water network is separate from our drinking water network and is easily identified by the purple pipes, taps and meters around the home. Before a property is connected, Council also undertakes checks to ensure the plumbing is correctly installed and there are no cross-connections between the two systems."
Mayor Adam Roberts said recycled water not only helps conserve precious drinking water, it also provides households with a lower-cost alternative for uses that don't require drinking water.
"Turning on recycled water for our community is another important step in the work we are doing to secure the future of water in the Port Macquarie Hastings," Mayor Roberts said.
"As our region grows, so too will demand for water. That's why Council is investing strategically across our entire water network - from the major expansion of our water treatment capacity through the new Cowarra Water Supply Scheme, to finding smarter ways to conserve and reuse the water we already have."
"Recycled water is a practical example of that. It simply doesn't make sense to use high-quality drinking water to flush a toilet, water the garden or wash the car when we have a safe and reliable alternative available."
"By using the right water for the right purpose, we can reduce pressure on our drinking water supplies and make our existing resources go further, while continuing to invest in the infrastructure our growing community will need for decades to come."
Recycled water begins as wastewater from homes and businesses before undergoing treatment and further advanced treatment for reuse.
At the Lake Cathie/Bonny Hills facility, a multiple-barrier process including microfiltration, ultraviolet light and chlorine disinfection produces recycled water that meets the requirements of the Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling. It is then distributed to connected homes through a dedicated network of purple pipes, separate from the drinking water network.
Once fully utilised, the Lake Cathie/Bonny Hills network is expected to reuse around 200 million litres of water each year, equivalent to approximately 80 Olympic swimming pools, reducing demand on the region's drinking water supply.
It is metered separately to drinking water, and costs less to use. General uses include flushing toilets (excluding bidets), washing clothes using the cold-water connection, watering lawn, filling ornamental ponds and washing cars.
It cannot be used for drinking, cooking or food preparation, showering or bathing, swimming pools or spas, children's water toys or rainwater tanks.
