Expanding recycled water use in the Adelaide Hills

SA Water is calling on ideas from prospective users of high quality recycled water from its Hahndorf Wastewater Treatment Plant, as well as general feedback on the plan from the wider local community.

The introduction of reuse from the Adelaide Hills facility will add to the utility’s already expansive availability of recycled water.

SA Water’s General Manager of Customer Delivery Kerry Rowlands said using treated wastewater from the Hahndorf plant will be of great environmental and economic value.

“For the end user it provides a reliable climate-independent supply of water, and for us it’s a sustainable approach to the reuse of wastewater,” Kerry said.

“Based on our previous experience in understanding the most suitable uses for recycled water, we believe water reuse from our Hahndorf site offers irrigation opportunities for open spaces (such as grassed areas); some food crops (trees and vines); woodlots; and ornamental trees and nurseries.

“However, we’re open to considering all ideas. The best way to provide your views is at watertalks.sawater.com.au, but you can also phone or email our Stakeholder Engagement team.

“People can access this engagement tool until 29 March, after which our specialist teams will go through a period of assessment and further investigation, with the aim of communicating next steps later this year.”

SA Water’s Bird in Hand Wastewater Treatment Plant – also in the Adelaide Hills – already supplies up to 62-million-litres of fit-for-purpose recycled water each year for irrigation of vineyards, pastoral and other farming properties. This scheme has been in place since 2012.

Jacob DuPlessis is one of these recycled water customers, and said his reuse supply has enabled consistently high yields of fodder for his sheep and cattle.

“We’ve also been able to run more head of cattle and establish several new green spaces around our property,” Jacob said.

“Compared to mains-supplied water, recycled water has a higher level of nutrients, so is great for plant growth and helps to reduce the need for chemical fertilisers.

“We need to water around 30 acres of land, so using this alternative supply is also more sustainable in relation to long-term costs.”

SA Water is one of the largest recyclers of water in Australia, with an average 27-billion-litres of high quality treated wastewater recycled from its metropolitan wastewater treatment plants each year.

Recycled water from the Bolivar Wastewater Treatment Plant supplies around 360 market gardeners north of Adelaide; the Glenelg facility helps to keep the Adelaide Park Lands green all year round and provides dual-supply at the new Bowden development; and Christies Beach-produced recycled water goes to more than 8000 homes in Adelaide’s south for garden watering and toilet flushing, as well as agricultural areas in McLaren Vale and Willunga for irrigation.

“Allowing for standard environmental, health and financial approvals, as well as construction of additional treatment-related infrastructure, any reuse scheme from the Hahndorf Wastewater Treatment Plant would likely be operational within the next four years,” Kerry said.

“The plant is capable of supplying around 300-million-litres of recycled water each year, so there is potential for multiple uses through the scheme.”

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