Dalby's alternative water supply on tap by 2008...

Excerpt from Dalby Town Council press release:

Alternative water supply on tap by 2008

11 May 2007

Plans to bolster Dalby's drinking water with treated coal seam gas (CSM)
by-water by 2008 using world-first water technology are well underway at Dalby Town Council.

At last week's meeting of the Dalby Water Supply Redevelopment Project
Steering Committee detailed designs for the project's infrastructure were
tabled as project planning continues to progress.

"Designs for the new desalination plant and 23 kilometre pipeline that
will carry CSM by-water from Arrow Energy's Tipton West gas field to
Council's Water Treatment Plant are currently being prepared," Dalby Mayor Warwick Geisel said.

"The new desalination plant will be roughly twice the size of Council's
existing plant and use a similar reverse osmosis treatment process that
has been tailored to the characteristics of CSM by-water," Cr Geisel said.

"With double the capacity, the new plant will produce four million litres
of water a day," he said.

The innovative project has gained support from all levels of government as well as private enterprise with Council collaborating with the Australian Government's National Water Commission, the Queensland government and Arrow Energy to get the venture off the ground.

Council's spokesperson for utility services - water Cr Barry O'Shea
believes the project demonstrates Council's good planning with the town
securing a long-term reliable base water supply.

"Whilst some councils are considering limiting development, this project
has meant that we are able to support new residential growth and
commercial development," Cr O'Shea said.

Other water saving initiatives associated with the project include
expansion of Council's recycled water network and implementation of water demand strategies such as Council's popular water rebates scheme.

Good enough for Dalby but not good enough for Federal funding for Chinchilla ...