Australian Water Management Review Vol 1 2010 | Page 34

Australia’s largest recycled
water scheme
reaps environmental rewards
Australia’s largest recycled water scheme is not only delivering a secure water
supply for South East Queensland but also environmental and community
benefits for the region.

OCCA reps and WCRW Mario Pirrone

WaterSecure’s $2.5 billion Western
Corridor Recycled Water (WCRW) Project
is part of the South East Queensland
Water Grid —Australia’s largest water
infrastructure initiative since the Snowy
Mountains hydro-electric scheme— and
was completed in 2008. Water is purified
at three advanced water treatment plants,
travelling via a network of more than 200
kilometres of large-diameter underground
pipes, storage tanks and pumping stations
to deliver a new source of pure water
for South East Queensland. The project
has the capacity to provide up to 232
megalitres of water a day to the region’s
power stations, industry and agriculture.
If drinking water supplies fall below a
combined capacity of 40 per cent, water
will also be supplied to the Wivenhoe Dam.
WaterSecure’s water purification plants
bring a range of benefits to South
East Queenslanders, with the most
significant being water security for
future generations. But one of the key
elements behind its success is the
environmental outcomes the project
delivers, and the ability to mobilise
grassroots community groups to
undertake crucial work in their
communities. During construction a
number of groups benefited through
community grants programs that
have helped communities along

Water Management Review 2010

the construction alignment and this
support is continuing throughout the
operations phase.
CEO of WaterSecure Keith Davies said
environmental benefits had always been a
key driver of the water recycling project,
and the community grants program played
a central role in leaving a lasting and
beneficial legacy.
“While delivering a major water
infrastructure initiative, we recognised
there’s a lot more we could deliver other
than treatment plants, pipelines and
pumps. We really wanted to contribute
to the environmental and social fabric of
communities affected by our project,” Mr
Davies said.
“Our Community Support Program
provided an opportunity for local
community and environment groups to get
meaningful projects off the ground.”
During construction, WCRW devised two
separate community grants programs
to support affected communities. Each
round of grants provided $120 000 to
not-for-profit community organisations
undertaking community-based initiatives.
Successful recipients were able to
demonstrate that their project satisfied a
community need or provided a significant
contribution to social, cultural or
environmental sustainability.

Two of the grant recipients included the
Bulimba Creek Catchment Coordination
Committee (B4C) and the Oxley Creek
Catchment Association (OCCA). These
groups received grants for projects that
protect, revegetate and enhance local
creeks and wetlands.
Mr Davies said the community grants
program was a great way for the project
to give something back to communities
affected by construction works.
“The Bulimba Creek Catchment has been
directly affected by our project a number
of times. Twenty-eight kilometres of
underground pipeline runs through the
catchment and our pipelines cross Bulimba
Creek five times,” Mr Davies said.
“By providing funds to allow B4C to
undertake its fauna monitoring program,
we are helping provide scientific, social
and environmental benefits for the
entire community.”
Environmentally, B4C’s program directly
contributes to the continued protection of
the Bulimba Creek Catchment, which is
home to threatened and endangered bird
species. Socially, the program engages
the community and will help Brisbane
residents better understand fauna within
our region, which provides the chance for
wide-scale attitude change. Scientifically,