Should Australia use recycled water for human consumption?
The issue of whether Australia should use recycled water for human consumption was brought into public limelight when in a referendum Toowoomba overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to add recycled effluent to the city’s water supply. Toowoomba residents were asked to approve a plan to draw 25% of the town’s water from reclaimed effluent, but more than 60% of voters said no to the idea. This issue arose because of the major water shortage in the town. Also, in New South Wales the Pejar Dam has fallen below 9% of its capacity, a dangerously low level of water storage in a dry continent like Australia. Recycled water is recycled effluent or sewage that is treated to a higher degree of purity required than for being discharged into a body of water such as an ocean outfall. A dual membrane process used in Singapore to recycle waste water to levels which approach that of distilled water. This system has been found to be almost totally safe, except for some chemicals which can not be removed. T
