Rockhampton Regional Council says it has taken an important step towards better environmental outcomes for water and sewerage infrastructure, with Councillors voting to negotiate with interested parties for the supply of recycled water from the North Rockhampton and South Rockhampton Sewage Treatment Plants.
Recycling effluent waste and reusing it for irrigation purposes reduces the amount being discharged to waterways and the demand for treated potable water for irrigation, which means less cost to those using the recycled water, Council said in a statement.
“This is another reason why it is important that we continue to work to upgrade our essential water and sewerage infrastructure,” says Mayor, Tony 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 allow us to 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 to work towards improved water and sewerage infrastructure for our region,” he said.
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 will need to comply with, so we are being proactive and working towards meeting these obligations now,” Cr Kirkland said.
“One of these obligations is the need to maximise effluent re-use rather than it 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.
“It is hoped 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,” she said.