Sydney Water: Dr Leslie is not quite correct ...

Excerpt from IBN News:

Sydney Water denies recycled water claims

17 February 2007

Sydney Water says claims by a wastewater expert that North Richmond residents are already drinking recycled water are misleading.

Greg Leslie from the University of New South Wales told a public meeting in Goulburn almost three weeks ago that between 10 and 30 percent of the town's supply came from tertiary-treated wastewater.

But a spokesman for Sydney Water, Brendan Elliott, told IBN News that the claims by Mr Leslie are "not quite right".

He confirmed water for the northwestern suburb was drawn from the Nepean River, but denied recycled water was present in the amounts quoted by Mr Leslie.

"There is tertiary-treated effluent in the Nepean River, but there is significant dilution of the water," he said.

"In any given year, discharges from Sydney water’s inland sewage treatment plants equal two percent of flow. In dry periods that figure may rise, and in wet periods that is in the lower range because there’s plenty of other water around."

Mr Elliott said the water at North Richmond was entirely safe to drink for the town's 50,000-odd residents.

"The water treatment plant (in North Richmond) uses the same water filtration techniques as at other plants, plus carbon filtration as an additional safeguard," he said.

"North Richmond meets the drinking water safety guidelines for Australia."

The recycled water issue has come to a head this week, with the release of the New South Wales' opposition's water plan, and categoric statements from the government that they oppose the introduction of recyled water for drinking purposes.

Sydney Water says they back the government's position.

See - Sydney Water - recycled water facts disputed.