Jondaryan Shire residents say NO to drinking recycled water ...

Residents of one of the Toowoomba City Council's water customers say no to drinking recycled water. At least they were asked to complete a survey.

From the Chronicle

27 January 2006

Re-used waste won't be to taste

Jondaryan Shire residents don't want to drink recycled water.

A local government satisfaction survey, where seven questions about water were added, found 80% of the 250 respondents agreed that the treatment of wastewater is essential.

However, they believed it should be used for industry or supplied to households through purple pipes.

Councillors this week heard consultant Market Facts found limited support for the shire to reject a supply containing recycled water.

"The result shows that there is a long way to go, at least in Jondaryan Shire, before residents would be happy to accept Toowoomba City Council's recycling proposal."

He said about 30% of respondents said they did not understand the Toowoomba Water Futures project.

Mayor Peter Taylor said he was not about "to bash Toowoomba Mayor Dianne Thorley over the head with the document".

He intends raising the survey results at a regional working group.

Cr Thorley agreed residents needed information on the project, but promptly reiterated that there would be no project until it received Federal Government funding.

The respondents want council to provide rebates to encourage the installation of rainwater tanks.

The survey, which ranked council performance above the rural and Sate averages, found the top priorities for council should be water supply and roads.