More than 1,100 homes in Chisholm and Gillieston Heights will soon be connected to recycled water as part of Hunter Water’s first residential recycled water scheme.
It is estimated each household will use 40 per cent less drinking water by instead using high quality treated wastewater for a range of non-drinking purposes such as flushing toilets, machine washing clothes and watering the garden.
The purpose-built treatment plants at Morpeth and Farley are in the final stages of being commissioned before they begin supplying recycled water to Chisholm customers on May 6 and Gillieston Heights customers on May 31.
Hunter Water Managing Director, Jim Bentley said we have a long history of using recycled water, but it’s really exciting to now be able to deliver these services for Hunter Water’s residential customers.
“One of the main benefits of recycled water is that it’s largely unaffected by climate so our customers will be able to use it all year round for a range of non-drinking purposes,” Jim said.
“This is expected to significantly reduce the amount of drinking water used at each property, and in turn help preserve our water supplies. When much of the state is experiencing drought, it’s really important that we save our precious resource.
“In preparation for these services coming online, we’ve worked individually with every property owner and tenant to ensure their property is ready to receive recycled water, so my thanks to everyone for their cooperation.
“Hunter Water has also undertaken extensive consultation with NSW Health, recycled water specialists and other water utilities across Australia. Before the water is delivered to our customers it will have been through a rigorous treatment process to ensure it is of extremely high quality and meets the Australian Water Recycling Guidelines.
“We aim to learn with our community to create a resilient and sustainable water system for our region. I’m confident we can achieve that by working together on projects like this, which help to conserve our precious resource.”
IMAGE | Hunter Water’s purpose-built treatment plant in Morpeth.
