Melbourne hits water recycling targets without potable reuse ...

The things achieved in Victoria which seem all too hard in Qld ...

Excerpt from the Age:

Melbourne hits water recycling targets

28 February 2008

More than one-fifth of Melbourne's waste water is now being recycled, reaching the Brumby Government's recycling target two years early.

Last financial year, water recycling plants - including the Eastern and Western treatment facilities - recycled 22.5 % of Melbourne's waste water.

The recycled water was used by market gardeners, industry, sporting grounds, nurseries and housing developments.

In 2002, the then Bracks government set the target of 20% recycling by 2010.

Visiting the Eastern Treatment Plant yesterday, Premier John Brumby said the level of recycling had improved from 14 billion to 65 billion litres since 1999.

"There's a huge amount of recycled water which is no longer just being pumped out to sea it is now being used in a productive way particularly in industry and in agriculture," he said.

Government figures show that 17 billion litres of recycled water is used within treatment plants themselves, where drinking water would normally be used.

Water Minister Tim Holding said the Eastern Treatment Plant was trialling methods for filtering, treating and disinfecting water so an upgrade of the plant can produce 100 billion litres of Class A recycled water by 2012.

"Not only will we increase the volume of recycled water than Melburnians have access to, but also we improve the ocean water quality at Gunnamatta where this treated water is currently discharged," he said.

Mr Holding said the Government was still completing the business case on whether recycled water could be used to cool the Latrobe Valley power plants. Drinking water is currently used.

"Obviously there are very significant capital costs involved in providing the infrastructure to support some of these (water) alternatives, new pipelines for example," he said.

The Government has not set a new target for recycling waste water in Melbourne.

See - Melbourne his targets for non-potable reuse.