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Power and Water Corporation is the sole provider of electricity, water supply and sewerage services to almost 80,000 customers across the Northern Territory ?¨C an area of more than 1.3 million square kilometres. Power and Water Corporation is the sole provider of electricity, water supply and sewerage services to almost 80,000 customers across the Northern Territory ?¨C an area of more than 1.3 million square kilometres. Power and Water Corporation is the sole provider of electricity, water supply and sewerage services to almost 80,000 customers across the Northern Territory ?¨C an area of more than 1.3 million square kilometres.
Home  >  Newsroom  >  Media releases  >  2009  >  Improved protection for our water ways

Improved protection for our water ways

14 Oct 2009

Power and Water and representatives from the Department of Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sport (NRETAS) meet regularly to explore solutions to improve protection of our waterways.

Discharge Licences for all outfalls are due for renewal in late 2011. Power and Water has been in intense discussions with NRETAS for the last six months to propose improved processes at all plants.

Power and Water met again yesterday to specifically discuss ways to reduce nutrient loads to Buffalo Creek following a Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge (TRaCK) report on the area's water quality.

Within the month, Power and Water will present options for short term improvements including increased recycling, new inlet works and nutrient reduction. The initial estimate for these works is around $2m and they would take between one to two years to complete.

General Manager Water Services Paul Heaton has said Power and Water will fund additional monitoring in Buffalo Creek and Darwin Harbour to broaden our combined knowledge of local environmental health and identify targets for improved performance so these can form part of the upcoming Licence review.

"We will continue to collaborate with NRETAS on long term approaches to reduce the impact of discharging treated wastewater to Buffalo Creek," said Mr Heaton.

"Options may include relocating the outlet to a place of greater tidal flow, advanced treatment, increased wastewater recycling or a combination of these," he said.

Preliminary cost estimates for the long term options are between $40m and $60m as well as significant increased operational costs, which will need to be fully assessed. Power and Water will engage expert consultants to look into these alternatives, with a preliminary report expected in the next six months.

As well as the obvious cost implications, each of these long term solutions will require thorough environmental impact assessment, regulatory approvals and community consultations.

The Corporation and NRETAS will be meeting again in early November to update progress on these strategies.


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The Power and Water Corporation is the Northern Territory of Australia's provider of electricity, water and sewerage services.
We are one of the largest businesses in the Territory with assets in excess of $1.2 billion and servicing around 80,000 customers.