Purified Recycled Water – Risks, economics and societies perception

The Western Corridor Recycled Water Project (WCRWP), which is located in South East Queensland (SEQ), is Australia’s largest recycled water project. The project was constructed in response to SEQ’s rapid population growth, effects of climate change and the occurrence of severe drought. Strategically located water treatments plants will draw water from existing wastewater treatment plants to produce approximately 250 million liters of purified recycled water (PRW) per day (WCRWP, 2009).

PRW is produced utilising a process that effectively treats wastewater through the removal of impurities, contaminants and micro-organisms. This treating of wastewater effectively produces high quality drinking water due to strict guidelines enforced by the Australian Water Recycling Guidelines, as well as, stringent recommendations from the World Health Organisation and National Health and Research Council (Queensland Water Commission, 2009). The economic, environmental and social aspects of adding PRW into water storage systems throughout SEQ under the governing WCRWP will be discussed below.

The transformation of wastewater into PRW provides an alternative water source. This alternative water source can not only be distributed to supplement water storage systems, but it can be used in power station systems, for use in industry and/or used in agricultural initiatives.

The purification of wastewater effectively reduces the need to treat and dispose of wastewater substances. As the economical costs of the treatment and disposal of wastewater substances can be quite substantial, therefore purifying wastewater is the most beneficial, viable and environmental solution.

The economical aspects of effectively treating wastewater under the WCRWP have not been effectively justified by the authority body (Queensland Water Authority). However, it has been projected that a satisfactory cost to benefit ratio has been achieved through implementation of the WCRWP, but further evidence on the economical aspects of the scheme needs to be produced.

Throughout SEQ, society’s perception about the issue of PRW has not been particularly pleasing. The perceptions conceived by communities in SEQ are to portray and reject the process of transforming wastewater into high quality recycled drinking water. This has already had adverse effects of the implementation of PRW into water sources, as the WCRWP will on distribute PRW into water storage systems when their combined capacity falls below 40%.

The addition of PRW into the water storage systems throughout SEQ will ultimately provide an additional water source by adequately facilitating rapid population growth, impacts due to climate change and the adverse effects of the prolonged drought. One of the major problems concerned with adding PRW into water source systems is the community perception. Society needs to be better informed about the treatment of wastewater and the quality of the final distributed product, so that improved perceptions about the implementation of PRW in water storage systems can be achieved. As PRW effectively reduces the need to treat and dispose of wasterwater substances, both economic and environmental impacts are substantially improved. Until economic, environmental and social aspects of treating wastewater outweigh the benefits of producing PRW and adding it into water storage systems, therefore I believe that PRW should continue to be added into water storage systems as a part of the WCRWP.

References

Western Corridor Recycled Water Project, 2009. Purified Recycled water – Economical and Environmental aspects. (accessed on the 28 August, 2009 from http://www.westerncorridor.com.au/sitedocument.aspx?doc)

Queensland Water Commission, 2009. Purified Recycled Water. (accessed on the 26 August, 2009 from http://www.qwc.qld.gov.au/What+is+purified+recycled+water)

By: Leigh B

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