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Melbourne's water
storages are currently at:
34.5%
breakdown by reservoir
(you can click on each reservoir
for more information)
Thomson: 21.4%
Cardinia: 34.4%
Upper Yarra: 66.0%
Sugarloaf: 60.2%
Silvan: 87.7%
Tarago: 57.6%
Yan Yean: 29.9%
Greenvale: 72.1%
Maroondah: 86.3%
O'Shannassy: 77.0%
recycled water
Why recycle our water?
Water recycling can include:
- Recycling treated effluent from our sewage treatment plants
- Greywater (water from our laundries and bathrooms) recycling
- Stormwater recycling
In Melbourne, we use over 400,000 million litres of high quality drinking water each year. At home, a lot of this water is used for activities that do not need high quality drinking water.
Using recycled water instead of drinking water for activities like flushing the toilet, means that there is less strain on our precious drinking water supplies. It also means we make use of treated effluent, a resource from our sewage treatment plants.
How safe is recycled water?
Recycled water can be used to irrigate open spaces
Class A recycled water is safe for most uses except for drinking, cooking and swimming.
There are many guidelines on what recycled water can be used for and how it needs to be controlled, depending on its quality. These guidelines are to protect us and the environment. People who use recycled water must monitor and report their use regularly to ensure all standards are met.
We currently supply Class A recycled water from our sewage treatment plants according to government guidelines. These guidelines are in line with what is currently practiced in other states and overseas.
How can recycled water be used?
Vegetables
Recycled water can be used for just about anything, as long as it has been treated to the right level. The right level of treatment would depend on how the water will be used. For example, will recycled water be used to water fruit orchards, parks and gardens? Or, will it be used to cool power stations?
The most common uses for recycled water include:
- Irrigating farms and market gardens
- watering parks, gardens, golf courses
- industrial processes in factories
- toilet flushing
- washing and cooling in power stations and mills.
Other possible uses include:
- fire fighting
- council sportgrounds and new housing estates
- topping up wetlands and maintaining river flow
It is now also possible to produce safe drinking water from sewage. In several countries sewage is recycled to drinking water (potable) quality (e.g. Orange County, California, USA and Singapore). This does not occur in Australia. However, some local councils with severe water shortages are considering this option.