Media Release

11 Sep 2007

One year anniversary of Australia's largest water recycling scheme

Today marks one year since Australia’s largest industrial water recycling scheme was commissioned.

The landmark scheme has now supplied well over five billion litres of highly treated recycled water from Wollongong Recycled Water Plant to Bluescope Steel.

September 11, 2006 was a momentous day for the Illawarra, when Premier Morris Iemma ‘flicked the switch’ on this groundbreaking water recycling scheme.

The scheme is now recycling around 20 million litres per day or about 18 per cent of the Illawarra’s water supply.

The scheme has a number of environmental benefits as well, it;

• Reduces the draw on drinking water from Avon Dam by up to 18 per cent or 7.3 billion litres per year.
  
• Recycles up to 40 per cent of the Illawarra’s wastewater on most days.
  
• Together with improvements to Bellambi, Wollongong and Port Kembla treatment plants, the scheme has improved water quality at beaches along a one kilometre stretch of coastline.

This project is one example of how Sydney Water’s large industrial customers are making a big difference.

Ten of Sydney Water’s top 14 industrial water users will be replacing drinking water with recycled water for a range of manufacturing processes by 2015, saving around 50 million litres of drinking water a day.

Recycling treated wastewater is a key element of the NSW Government's Metropolitan Water Plan, which will secure water supplies in the Greater Sydney region.

 

Return to Media Releases