Major Projects
Health and safety of water purification
Water purification involves processing wastewater through a multibarrier treatment system to produce high quality drinking water. The advanced technologies used in this process include, micro/ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis and advanced oxidation with ultra-violet disinfection. The purified water produced can then be added to a natural supply source, such as a dam reservoir, to supplement drinking water supplies. It is then further treated through the drinking water treatment plant before distribution to the city.
ACTEW Corporation is currently undertaking the initial design phase of a water purification plant for demonstration purposes only. If constructed, the water from the demonstration water purification plant would not be added to our drinking water supply. The purpose of the plant would be to test the purification processes under real operational conditions. The plant would also demonstrate how the process produces water of drinking quality.
Like all of Canberra’s drinking water, the water produced by the demonstration water purification plant would be constantly monitored to ensure it complies with strict standards. The monitoring program will confirm that the water meets or exceeds the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.
ACTEW will also monitor the purified water to ensure that it complies with a special set of criteria called the Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling: Augmentation of Drinking Water Supplies. These national guidelines have been developed specifically for purified water.
Independent advice
In 2007 an independent expert panel on health investigated ACTEW’s proposal to purify Canberra’s wastewater and add it to the Cotter Reservoir. The panel made a suite of recommendations that ACTEW is addressing in the design of the demonstration water purification plant. You can get a copy of the expert panel’s report from our website or by contacting us.
Purified water around the world
Purified water has been, or will be added to drinking water supplies in many major towns and cities around the world including Brisbane, Singapore and in the USA: Orange County; suburbs of Washington D.C; Northern Virginia; Clayton County; and Georgia. Although today’s technology is much further advanced, the town of Windhoek in Namibia has been successfully using water purification for drinking purposes since the 1960s.
Learn more about the Design of a Demonstration Water Purification Plant here.
Learn how you can have your say on water purification here.
Learn more about the proposed water purification processes here.