 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
1. What is recycled water? 1 What is recycled water? Stormwater, greywater, rainwater and treated effluent are all alternative water supplies that, when treated as required, are suitable for a range of purposes. This can include irrigating grazing land and crops, in horticulture, industrial processing, in new suburbs as part of water-sensitive urban design, and to keep our public and recreational spaces green. On this website, "recycled water" generally refers to fully treated effluent. Recycled water is a valuable resource. It improves the reliability of our water supplies, frees up water for the environment or growth, and reduces the amount of treated effluent discharged into our bays and oceans. 2. Is recycled water presently in use? Recycled water is already being used in a wide range of applications, including the irrigation of agriculture, parklands and golf courses. 3. Can households use recycled water? There are a number of residential developments planned for Melbourne, which will have third pipe facilities enabling the use of recycled water for non-drinking applications such as toilet flushing and watering gardens. 4. Why is recycled water being used? Water is a precious resource, yet less than 10% of Australia's urban and industrial water is recycled. Melburnians use about 485,000 million litres of potable (drinking) water each year. Much of this is for uses that do not require the standard of drinking water, and could be substituted with recycled water. Water recycling is a socially, environmentally and economically viable solution to help preserve our drinking water supplies. 5. What are the benefits of using recycled water? Recycled water has many benefits. It reduces the demand on fresh water and makes use of a precious resource that currently goes to waste. Water recycling schemes protect the environment by reducing the discharge of treated effluent to bays and the ocean. 6. How can recycled water be used? In general terms, Class C recycled water can be used for crops such as tree plantations, vineyards and general agriculture, and irrigation of golf courses and parklands under controlled conditions. With further treatment to Class A, recycled water can be used on an unrestricted basis for horticulture, irrigation of market gardens and open space recreation, and for garden watering and toilet flushing through dual pipe residential development schemes. 7. Where does recycled water come from? In most cases around metropolitan Melbourne, the source for recycled water is one of Melbourne Water's two sewage treatment facilities - the Eastern Treatment Plant at Bangholme and the Western Treatment Plant at Werribee. These two treatment plants are able to provide large amounts of recycled water irrespective of the season. Another potential source of recycled water involves extracting and treating sewage along existing pipelines. The sewage is treated on location (away from an existing treatment plant) using a localised treatment plant. This solution provides another option for recycling, which can reduce the requirement for new pipelines and therefore increase the viability of some recycling proposals. Stormwater recycling offers another on-site recycling option, with treated recycled rainwater used for non-potable domestic applications. 8. What happens to treated effluent at present? The vast majority of Melbourne's sewage is treated at Melbourne Water's Eastern and Western sewage treatment plants and discharged as treated effluent into Bass Strait and Port Phillip Bay. Through the increased use of recycled water, we will be able to reduce the volume of water discharged and use it in applications beneficial to the environment and the community. 9. Is recycled water safe? Yes. Recycled water undergoes high standards of treatment to ensure it is fit for its intended purpose. There are standards that apply for its use. 10. Are there guidelines for recycled water use? Yes. Recycled water can be safely used for a variety of purposes appropriate to the level of treatment it has undergone, in accordance with EPA Victoria's Guidelines for Environmental Management: Use of Reclaimed Water. These standards are in line with interstate and international practice and permit a wide range of applications. Individual water recycling projects each require an Environment Improvement Plan, which complies with the requirements of EPA Victoria. Visit www.epa.vic.gov.au for more information. 11. How is recycled water defined? Recycled water is defined as water that has been treated to a 'fit for purpose' standard for a specific application. The following water classes can all be used to replace potable water and, if used in an EPA-approved fit-for-purpose application, can be classified as recycled water:
About Us I Search I Contact Us I Privacy Policy I © Copyright
|
||||||||||||