Tasmania - recycled drinking water not a priority ...

Tasmania joins a chorus of States opting to steer clear of the Beattie plan to force residents to drink recycled water.

Excerpt from 7 News:

Recycled drinking water not a priority: Llewellyn

29 January 2007

Tasmania's Water Minister David Llewellyn says recycled drinking water is not a priority for the state.

Debate on the issue has flared in Queensland with the Government announcing plans to use recycled water to boost dwindling supplies in major areas.

Mr Llewellyn says Tasmania has adequate supplies and must look to improving infrastructure instead.

"With modern equipment you can actually produce very clean water from waste water systems but we don't need to do that in Tasmania because we have adequate water, there is a requirement particularly in some of our regional areas and our rural areas for water treatment of existing water supplies, so that's where we need to concentrate," he said.

"I'm confident we will always have enough water and we need to go about our business and establish our business to ensure that does happen into the future obviously, but we don't have any shortage in Hobart or in Launceston or our major centres, so our bulk water supplies are adequate and indeed adequate for the foreseeable future."

See - Ch 7 news - Tasmania opts out.