Parkes Recycled Water Scheme has celebrated a watershed moment, with construction completion declared for the Advanced Water Recycling Facility (AWRF).
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The AWRF is the latest project to be undertaken through Parkes Shire Council's multi award-winning Integrated Water Infrastructure Renewal program, which has also delivered Parkes a new Water Treatment Plant and Sewage Treatment Plant.
The Advanced Water Recycling Facility is a key asset in Parkes new Recycled Water Scheme which will provide the town with high quality recycled water for irrigation purposes.
The scheme is being rolled out in three phases.
Phase 1 is the construction of the AWRF which will supply high quality recycled water to existing Effluent Reuse Scheme Customers.
Phase 2 involves the construction of a specialised Recycled Water Rising Main to extend the delivery of recycled water to Parkes Shire Council's parks and greenspaces.
Phase 3 involves the potential expansion of the scheme to include additional customers for industrial or irrigation purposes.
The AWRF has been constructed alongside the new Sewage Treatment Plant, and uses state-of-the-art treatment processes to purify the wastewater to the highest standard.
Parkes Shire Council's Director of Infrastructure Andrew Francis said the AWRF creates a new, local and completely drought-proof water supply that will keep our parks and sporting fields green - even during water restrictions.
“Our Recycled Water Scheme will achieve incredibly high treatment standards, to be solely used for irrigating our community green spaces,” he said.
“This will reduce the demands on treated drinking water and lower Council’s operational costs.”
The idea behind the scheme goes back to 2005, when recycled water was suggested as a potential solution to Parkes water security issues during community consultation.
A Community Project Reference Group comprising community representatives, business groups, and other stakeholders was established to ensure the community's needs and wishes would be considered through planning, design and implementation of the infrastructure renewal.
These representatives were brought together again in early December to provide invaluable feedback on the progress of the Recycled Water Scheme.
The group were overwhelmingly supportive of the scheme, and provided Council with the opportunity to address any questions that might arise.
One concern was the potential impact on ratepayers.
Mr Francis emphasised that the $21m scheme has been fully funded by Council, with the Australian Government contributing a subsidy of $8,725,000 through the National Stronger Regions Fund.
“Council has been saving for these upgrades for more than two decades, so the new scheme will not result in any increases to rates or utility bills,” he said.
While the recycled water is only available for municipal irrigation and existing Effluent Reuse customers, the recycled water scheme will ultimately free up additional potable water for domestic use.
The Parkes Golf Club and Parkes Jockey Club will be the first to benefit, making the switch from effluent reuse to high quality recycled water, and will be turning their purple taps on over summer.
Although construction has finished, work continues to fine-tune the treatment processes and ensure the recycled water is in optimal quality before it is put to use.
Practical completion is anticipated for March 2018.
The next stage of the Recycled Water Scheme will be the construction of a Recycled Water Rising Main in order to deliver recycled water for irrigation to select parks.
The design process is nearing completion, and construction of the new pipeline will start in 2018.
Residents are invited to view the Review of Environmental Factors (REF) when it is displayed at Council Offices and on the website in March 2018.
