8mo ago

ACT authorities consider supplementing drinking water with treated sewage water

3 comments

Seems like something that's better to have when you need it than otherwise, even if my natural instinct is to avoid treated sewage where possible. Luckily we're in one of the better situations water wise (for an inland city) with the Cotter and Queanbeyan catchments providing pretty clean water along with the Murrumbidgee, but the population is growing pretty quickly so more options is better in the long run.
How much would it cost to install recycled water pipes to houses I wonder. Maybe even just new developments. Use that water for toilet, laundry, garden hose. Probably cost prohibitive to have a dual supply when technically both are drinkable / potable water supplies.
- It would be quite a bit, as you'd effectively be duplicating the water main infrastructure. In greenfield developments it would be more cost effective as you're already digging for one set of pipes so installing another alongside wouldn't be so expensive (also less chance of pinging other infrastructure as it's either not there or better marked, and new suburbs won't have gas mains to dodge).
  NSW at least has found though that you can reduce toilet water usage by making people use rainwater to feed them, and you get to make the house owner pay for it that way rather than the government installing and maintaining supply infrastructure. I'm not sure whether the ACT requires this in new builds but I suspect if it doesn't it will in the future.