Rodney Stevens
We all know that water is the most essential commodity for human life to exist on the planet, and how much we enjoy a glass of clean, cold water on a hot day – but we could soon be drinking recycled water under the NSW Government’s Recycled Water Roadmap – and you have until January 10 to have your say.
Currently there are 35 cities in the world, including Perth, where purified recycled water is used in the drinking water supply.
The NSW Government said it is developing the Recycled Water Roadmap RWR to make it easier for the state’s 89 council-owned and operated local water utilities to assess, cost and engage with their customers on recycled water, and invest in it for both drinking and non-drinking purposes.
“Water is a finite resource that is essential to life,” the NSW Government’s RWR states.
“It is fundamental to health and well-being and critical to a functioning economy.
“Climate change means that NSW will confront more frequent and more severe droughts, higher temperatures and more storm events.
“To prepare, cities and towns will need to transition to more secure water supply options, diversify water sources and increase the proportion of water that does not depend on rainfall.
“We also need to be more efficient with the water we currently use in households and industry and use land use planning and urban design to better integrate the way we manage urban water.
“Retaining water in highly urbanised landscapes can help our cities and towns to maintain green spaces and tree canopy during drought conditions, sustain recreational areas, contribute to urban cooling and improve waterway health.
“This is achieved through stormwater management, recycling and integrating water bodies into urban design.”
Currently water is classified into 2 categories, Potable and Non-Potable.
The NSW Government Food Authority defines Potable water as “water that is acceptable and safe for human consumption”.
Non-Potable water is not fit for human consumption and must not be used for drinking or domestic purposes as its sources are not managed in accordance with the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, nor our drinking water source management procedures.
“Water recycling refers to the treatment and reuse of wastewater, and harvested stormwater that is treated in and outside the home, in industry, and for agriculture,” the RWR states.
“In water recycling, treatment technologies are designed to reduce or eliminate nutrients, chemicals and disease-causing organisms like viruses and parasites (pathogens) to safe levels.
“These technologies are used to treat wastewater and stormwater for various uses, including for drinking.”
All Recycled Water under the proposal must comply to Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.
Once recycled, the water is categorised based on its intended final use, either Non-Potable and Non-drinking, or Potable Drinking Water.
Non-Potable recycled water can be used for irrigation on gardens, public open spaces and in agriculture, for washing hard surfaces, dust suppression, and cooling of buildings, in toilets and washing machines, and in firefighting.
To use Non-Potable recycled water requires a separate pipe network to separate and distinguish it from drinking water supplies, often referred to as the purple pipe, third pipe or dual reticulation schemes.
The NSW Government’s draft Recycled Water Roadmap is open for public consultation until Friday, January 10, 2025, and submissions from the community are invited.
To lodge a submission visit https://water.dpie.nsw.gov.au/our-work/plans-and-strategies/recycled-water-roadmap