Power and Water sends first recycled water down the pipeline as the Alice Springs Water Re-use Project is commissioned.

The Minister for Essential Services, Kon Vatskalis, officially opened the Alice Springs Water Reclamation Plant this morning  (Wednesday 28 May) marking the completion and commissioning of the five year, $10.4 million Water Reuse in the Alice Project.

Initially the project will recycle up to 600 mega litres of water a year. Water from the wastewater stabilisation ponds will undergo treatment in a Dissolved Air Floatation plant before it is pumped 6.2km to the Arid Zone Research Institute (AZRI). The reclaimed water will then be infiltrated through Soil Aquifer Treatment (SAT) basins and stored in an underground aquifer before being used to irrigate horticulture projects, helping create employment and economic opportunities for the region.

The land at AZRI will be suitable for horticultural production of high value crops such as table grapes, vegetables, herbs, native bush foods etc.

Not all of the reclaimed water will be sent to the SAT basins as some will be supplied to Blatherskite Park to help irrigate their grounds as well as the potential for other customers to be connected along the pipeline route such as Desert Knowledge Australia.

A sustainable building design was chosen in keeping with the Central Australian conditions for the Water Reclamation Plant and local architect Brendan Meney chosen to undertake this work.  The building has now been nominated for a Royal Australian Institute of Architects award and landscaping will be undertaken in the near future by Greening Australia using native local plants. 

Power and Water has worked with the Department of Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts, the Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines and CSIRO to complete this important project.