In what Ballina Shire Council believes is a first for regional NSW, a groundbreaking recycled water service is set to begin at Lennox Head in July.
That’s when almost 80 new houses will begin receiving recycled water for household uses with council supplying both recycled and drinking water to properties through a dual reticulated water system.
A council spokesperson said that while the water had been treated to very high standards and safe to use around the home, it was not suitable for drinking.
Purple pipelines and taps have already been installed at households set to receive recycled water, and they will be contacted by council before the start-up date.
Council’s water manager, Tim Mackney, said Ballina shire was at the forefront of the country’s recycled water technology in regional NSW.
‘We are in the extraordinary position of saying that Ballina Shire Council will soon have the biggest recycled water service in regional NSW’, Mr Mackney said.
‘In the first phase of the program, 77 houses in Lennox Head are set to benefit from the delivery of dual recycled and drinking water services in July.
‘From there, we will roll-out the program to more than 600 new households in Ballina, East Ballina, and Cumbalum. They will have recycled water on tap for uses such as washing clothes, flushing toilets and watering the garden.
‘When this service starts we will be at the forefront of the nation’s recycled water sector.’
Mr Mackney said the shire’s water services were adapting to the growth in demand and the need to ensure a sustainable water supply for future generations.
‘The delivery of recycled water for local household uses is going to really change the way we think about water’, he said.
‘We are not just going to think about using water for household purposes but recycling it to ensure sustainable water supplies for future generations.
‘What this really means is that more water will be preserved for essential uses such as drinking, cooking and bathing.’
Selected agricultural properties, sports fields and commercial premises in the shire already trialling the dual reticulation
For more information about water management in the shire, visit council’s new website at http://www.ballinawater.com.au
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