The Laramba Water Treatment Plant has officially opened, with the use of ion-exchange technology to treat drinking water and reduce naturally occurring uranium levels to well below Australian Drinking Water Guideline (ADWG) levels – increasing accessibility to clean water for remote communities.
Northern Territory Chief Minister, Natasha Fyles, said, the state government is committed to improving living conditions for remote Territorians, and this includes ensuring a reliable and safe supply of drinking water in First Nations communities.
This project is funded by the Northern Territory Government’s $28 million commitment to address critical water supply infrastructure needs in remote Aboriginal communities that are experiencing water quality and security stress – of that, $6.8 million was committed to water quality improvement in Laramba.
With a capacity of 360KL per day, the plant uses proven ion-exchange technology to treat the drinking water and reduce naturally occurring uranium to well below Australian Drinking Water Guideline (ADWG) Levels. The ADWG level for uranium is 0.02mg/L.
At Laramba, naturally occurring levels of uranium in the water levels historically range between 0.029mg/L to 0.055mg/L. Testing of the treated water through the Laramba plant indicates that uranium levels after treatment are almost undetectable at <0.001mg/L.
Northern Territory Minister for Essential Services, Selena Uibo, said enabling access to reliable drinking water in remote communities is a priority of the Northern Territory Government.
“Power and Water Corporation operate across 1.3 million square kilometres in some of the most challenging and diverse conditions in Australia and I congratulate them upon the completion of this project,” Ms Uibo said.
“It’s exciting to be in Laramba to officially open the water treatment plant, which will benefit the local community for many years to come.”
Member for Gwoja, Chansey Paech, said, “This project provides a treatment solution for naturally occurring uranium in the groundwater that supplies the Laramba community.
“We are also furthering work to improve water quality in neighbouring communities, including Yuelamu and Yuendumu.”
