High-quality recycled water has been made available to residents in Adelaide’s south following the completion of the $62.6 million Southern Urban Reuse Project.

 

The innovative project has the capacity to provide up to 1.6 billion litres of recycled water each year to about 8000 new homes in the southern suburbs.

 

The State Government provided $47.6 million towards the project as part of the Water Proofing the South initiative and the Federal Government contributed $15 million as part of its $34.5 million contribution to Water Proofing the South.

 

Minister for Water, Paul Caica said the use of recycled water in new homes for toilet flushing and irrigation will reduce reliance on mains water and utilise an alternate water source.

 

"The completion of the Southern Urban Reuse Project will help to increase Adelaide’s water security by conserving drinking water supplies and using a water source which would have otherwise been treated and discharged to the sea," he said.

 

The project, which began in April 2009, included upgrades to existing infrastructure and construction of new infrastructure at SA Water’s Christies Beach and Aldinga wastewater treatment plants to enable Seaford Meadows properties to access recycled water.

 

Construction works for the project included:

  • A new pump station at the Christies Beach Wastewater Treatment Plant to transfer the water to the Aldinga WWTP site
  • A transfer pipeline from Christies Beach WWTP to the Aldinga WWTP site
  • Construction of a bulk water storage at the Aldinga site
  • Construction of a tertiary water treatment process at the Aldinga site and;
  • Construction of a pumping station and a dual reticulation (purple) pipeline from Aldinga to the Seaford Meadows urban development.