An award-winning water reuse project has turned sewage into a useful urban water supply for one Western Australian community.
The Halls Head Indirect Water Reuse Project was recently awarded the Western Australian Water Corporation Award for Water Treatment and Recycling, and forms the basis for a number of new research projects under the Water For A Healthy Country Flagship research program.
Recycling sewage
The City of Mandurah, 70 km south of Perth, is running a project that allows the safe re-use of treated sewage effluent for irrigating its open green spaces.
Lead scientist Dr Simon Toze says the success of the Halls Head Indirect Water Reuse Project, which directs effluent through an aquifer to remove all contaminants, is significant. An aquifer is an underground layer of material, such as rock or soil, that allows water to pass through it.
‘It shows the country that we can recycle water easily, and at the same time get a good quality of water out,’ Dr Toze said.
Treated water from the Halls Head Treatment Sewerage Plant was fed into the nearby shallow aquifer, which naturally filtered the water before it was made accessible as irrigation for local parks, gardens and ovals.
“The project shows the country that we can recycle water easily, and at the same time get a good quality of water out.”
Dr Simon Toze
Microbiologist
CSIRO Land and Water
Contamination test
The system was monitored for potential health and environmental risks from major contaminants over a 24-month period.
In particular, the team tested for the presence of microbial pathogens, or disease-causing organisms, in the recovered water.
It also looked at the effect the treated wastewater had on the local groundwater system.
The project is particularly important for Western Australia, and is conducted under a partnership between:
‘We certainly need recycling to be part of the total water cycle. And because there is an extensive aquifer system here, this proves we can use these for improving water quality as well as relieving pressure on other supplies,’ Dr Toze said.
Find out more about CSIRO's work with Water.
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