About 8000 homes in Adelaide’s southern suburbs are set to start using recycled water after completion of a $62 million pipeline network and water treatment plant.
The new system has the capacity to provide up to 1.6 billion litres of recycled water each year for use in toilets and for garden irrigation.
Water Minister Paul Caica said the use of recycled water would reduce reliance on mains water and help increase Adelaide’s water security.
“Years of drought conditions have taught us that we need to value every drop of water and this project is one way we can do just that,” Mr Caica said.
“South Australia is one of the nation’s leaders when it comes to recycling water and this is a reputation we are eager to build on.”
The SA government provided $47 million for the project with $15 million coming from the federal government.
Federal parliamentary secretary for sustainability and urban water Don Farrell said the recycling scheme benefited both the community and the environment.
“By providing up to 1.6 billion litres of high-quality recycled water to homes we are utilising an existing water source and increasing the amount of recycled water South Australia uses,” he said.
