Rockhampton Regional Council has taken a major step towards improving its sustainable water and sewerage infrastructure, by approving the commencement of negotiations for the supply of recycled water to the region.
Interested parties have been given the green light to negotiate the supply of recycled water from the North Rockhampton and South Rockhampton Sewage Treatment Plants.
Council hopes to recycle effluent waste and reuse it for irrigation purposes, to reduce the amount that is being discharged to waterways as well as the demand for treated potable water for irrigation.
Rockhampton Region Mayor, Tony Williams, said this would reduce the costs to those using the recycled water.
“This is another reason why it is important that we continue to work to upgrade our essential water and sewerage infrastructure,” Mr Williams said.
“Not only does it mean we can continue to provide essential services for our community and allow our community to grow, but it will also deliver better results for our community by minimising impacts to the environment.
“We have been having conversations with state and federal levels of government, and will continue to have these conversations over the next few months, to drive home the importance of continuing work towards improved water and sewerage infrastructure for our region.”
Water and Environmental Sustainability Councillor, Donna Kirkland, said the recycled water scheme will help Council meet its new obligations once the upgraded North Rockhampton Sewage Treatment Plant (NRSTP) is online.
“At the moment we are meeting our environmental requirements, however when we expand the NRSTP, there will be new permits and restrictions that Council need to comply with, so we are being proactive and working towards meeting these obligations now,” Ms Kirkland said.
“One of these obligations is the need to maximise effluent reuse, rather than waste being discharged into waterways, which is why we are now looking to enter into formal agreements with parties who are interested in receiving recycled water.
“We hope that in the future, we will move towards allowing more people to access the recycled water scheme, because the more people accessing this, the better the outcome for the community and the environment.”
