Mosaic Map: NRM funded projects
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Water-saving partnerships with local councils
One local council within South Australia's Murray Darling Basin region has halved its annual water bill and its neighbours are also reaping the benefits after they decided to look at their wastewater as an asset rather than a burden.
This innovative approach has been fostered by the SA Murray-Darling Natural Resources Management (SA MDB NRM) Board which, is developing water-saving partnerships with each of the 19 local councils in the region.
"We're working with local government and industry to reduce the demand on raw or mains water by reusing water from these sources for a range of purposes including irrigation of reserves, farms, recreational areas and new developments," said Project Manager Mellissa Bradley.
Funding
The project has received $550,000 in assistance over two years from the Australian and State Governments.
"A number of councils were already looking at newer, more effective ways of dealing with wastewater and the project provided the funding to put their ideas into practice," Mellissa said.
"We use the funding to provide grants to local councils for wastewater reuse or stormwater treatment projects.
Activities and achievements
"We've funded around 20 projects over past two years which are designed to encourage sustainable waste water and stormwater management in the SA Murray-Darling Catchment."
In one project, a new water recycling scheme introduced by the District Council of Mount Barker delivered a 25 per cent reduction in the annual water bill in the last 12 months. A further 25 per cent reduction was achieved through water use efficiency measures within Council's irrigation network.
During a recent summer the council saved more than eight megalitres of mains water – that's equivalent to eight Olympic swimming pools – by using recycled effluent on reserves in one residential estate alone. They were also able to provide two hundred megalitres of treated wastewater to a local vegetable producer to use for irrigation.
"We're promoting successful partnerships between local government and the public and private sector and achieving some amazing results," Melissa said.
"As an example, the Berri Barmera Council is piping all domestic wastewater from six separate townships to one place. This will be combined with treated wastewater from the Hardy Wine Company's Berri plant and then reused for commercial irrigation as well as for watering council-managed parks and gardens."
More information
- Mellissa Bradley, SA MDB NRM Board: 0434 991 889 or mellissabradley@dodo.com.au
- River Murray SA
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