Australian Water Management Review Vol 1 2010 | Page 45

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washing machine tap and an outdoor
tap to further reduce demand on
drinking water.
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reservoir at Upper Coomera. The stored
water is then pumped to local homes and
businesses.

understanding to acceptance of the PCWF
Master Plan and to provide an avenue for
feedback and liaison.

Reduced Infiltration Gravity Sewers
(RIGS) have been built to reduce the
volume and velocity of stormwater
entering the wastewater network.

Involving the community

Annual research conducted on behalf of
the PCWF Alliance shows:

Water Sensitive Urban Design
(WSUD) has replaced traditional
kerbs and channelling with visually
attractive swales and retention
ponds. These landscaping features
allow stormwater runoff to be
slowed, reduced and filtered before it
can enter creeks and rivers.

Mr Went said the project provided the
Pimpama-Coomera community with a
sustainable urban water cycle.

Community and stakeholder support
has been crucial to implementing the
Pimpama Coomera Waterfuture (PCWF)
Master Plan.
One outstanding innovation of the Master
Plan’s development and implementation
was the effective involvement of the
community through a local advocacy
group and a community-based committee
which oversaw the development of the
Master Plan.
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“The community can now capture, use
and re-use water in innovative ways.
“The region has been marked for rapid
population growth, with an estimated
population of 120,000 in 2056. We
need to encourage positive attitudes
and behaviours towards water and
water conservation to ensure a
sustainable future.”

The Class A+ recycled water
treatment process

Class A+ recycled water production is
subject to stringent specifications and
controls to ensure maximum quality.
Waste water treated at the Pimpama
Recycled Water Treatment Plant goes
through a seven-barrier process that
includes:
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preliminary treatment

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biological nutrient removal

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anthracite, sand fi
ltration

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disinfection

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ultra fi
ltration

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ultra- violet fi
ltration

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disinfection.

The process ensures water is treated
to a quality standard before being sent
to a new, 22-million litre recycled water

•

The committee comprised a team of
Gold Coast community and industry
representatives, technical specialists
in water, wastewater, economics
and engineering, Councillors, Council
officers and managers and State
Government representatives.
The committee approach was
important in creating a high level
of community engagement and
ownership of the Master Plan.

Implementing the PCWF Master Plan
also achieved a measurable change in
stakeholder knowledge, attitudes and
behaviour.
The PCWF Master Plan was unique in
being located in a ‘greenfield’ area with
few traditional communication channels.
A Community Advocacy Group (CAG) was
established to achieve better acceptance
and understanding of the Master Plan and
to enable more targeted dissemination of
information between the project team and
the local community.
The CAG represents a broad range of
local community and stakeholder interests
and provides a forum for disseminating
information about the PCWF Master Plan
to a cross section of the community in
order to gain public support. The CAG also
builds trust and transparency by regularly
bringing GCW and other key stakeholders
face to face.
The CAG’s goal is to empower the
community to move from awareness and

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Gold Coast residents broadly support
water conservation initiatives,
particularly in light of forecast
population growth in the region

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Stakeholder support for Class A+
recycled water being plumbed for
toilet flushing and outside nondrinking uses is 95%

•

Accurate information about the PCWF
Master Plan’s recycled water system
and health and safety issues could be
effectively disseminated through the
implementation of a CAG.

The Launch Campaign

A campaign was executed in 2009 to
increase awareness, build upon the
understanding within the community and
create excitement and support for the
Class A+ ‘go live’.