Recycled water and wastewater treatment plants to be built

Gold Coast City Council has moved a step closer to developing Australia's largest water sustainable community with the appointment of a contractor to construct an $80 million waste and recycled water treatment plant at Pimpama.

Council's Water Sustainability Chair, Councillor Daphne McDonald, said the WaterCycle Alliance would soon begin work on the plant on Kerkin Road North.

"This plant will represent the largest single piece of infrastructure needed to support the wastewater and recycled water needs of the Pimpama Coomera community, and is in line with Council's Waterfuture Strategy to conserve drinking water," said McDonald.

When complete, the first stage of the development will deliver nine million litres of high quality Class A+ recycled water (through separate purple pipes) to 18,000 homes per day, for toilet flushing and external use.

The plan expects to reduce the use of drinking water by 84% and plans to provide all new homes and some existing homes with access to drinking water in the kitchen, high quality recycled water for toilet flushing and outdoor use, and rainwater for laundry, bathroom and outdoor use.

"Stage 1 of the Pimpama wastewater treatment plant will be completed and operational by November 2007. Stage 1 of the adjacent recycled water treatment plant will be completed in March 2008 and, after an appropriate testing period, will begin sending recycled water to local dual-reticulated homes towards the end of 2008," WaterCycle Alliance spokesperson, Sam Quagliata said.