Case study: Parkes looks to the future

In regional New South Wales, Parkes Shire Council recognised that the need to repair an ageing water supply system was a step-change opportunity to overhaul its water network, including its water and sewage treatment plants and associated transfer infrastructure.

The new Recycled Water Scheme includes an Integrated Water Infrastructure Program with new water and sewage treatment plants and an advanced water recycling facility.

The new scheme strengthens Parkes' water security and brings its water recycling activities up to industry best-practice standards.

The scheme provides an additional source of water for non-potable use that is climate-resilient and cost-effective, saving 185 megalitres of drinking

water per year that would otherwise be used for municipal irrigation.41