Hunter Water will connect more than 1100 residences in the Chisholm and Gillieston Heights areas of Maitland to recycled water, as part of its 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 6 May 2019 and Gillieston Heights customers on 31 May.
“We have a long history of using recycled water, but it’s really exciting to now be able to deliver these services for our residential customers,” Hunter Water Managing Director, Jim Bentley, said.
“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.
“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.”
Siobhan Day is the Assistant Editor of Utility magazine and Pump Industry magazine, and has been part of the team at Monkey Media since early 2019.
With a background in management in the non-profit sector, Siobhan has extensive experience in communications, professional writing and client management. She holds a Bachelor of Business and Communications and is currently completing a postgraduate degree.
