Significant barriers are preventing the reuse of vital water supplies. 

Reusing municipal wastewater for residential non-drinking end-uses offers opportunities to bolster water security and help conserve the environment, but recycled wastewater schemes come with a price tag - just one of the barriers to wider adoption.

Utilities and developers are considering recycled water as an option, particularly in regards to new developments.
But capital investment is required, including treatment and networks, there are ongoing operational costs, and pitching higher bills to customers is hard to do.

While the cost of different water sources varies around Australia, recycled water is, for the most part, still more expensive to supply than potable water. 

“However, for something that seems relatively easy to do, we’ve not yet seen a lot of third-pipe reuse schemes get off the ground. There have historically been barriers, with the main one relating to implementation cost,” says Australian Water Association (AWA) Water Quality Specialist Network co-chair and Aurecon Water lead engineer Sally Williamson.

“Who is going to pay for reuse options? As a customer, why would I pay more for recycling when potable is cheaper? Recycled water costs more to produce, and when the service seems the same as what already comes out of the tap, the customer’s willingness to pay is a barrier.”

She says efforts must be made to ensure recycled water is fit for purpose - making the level of treatment appropriate for the end-use. 

“We are making advances in technologies around treatment, and analysis and online monitoring, that may allow us to recycle more cost effectively. And that will see the cost of producing recycled water go down,” Ms Williamson says.

“There is a lot happening in this space, and the more improvements we see in technology, the closer we’ll get to override that cost barrier, where recycled water can be produced and supplied at a similar cost to potable water.

“Greywater reuse is not new. Water conscious consumers have been reusing washing water for their gardens for a long time. But compared to municipal operated recycled water schemes, there is the risk factor to consider as the onus of risk management shifts from the consumer to the scheme operator as the producer of the recycled water.

“There are many hoops to jump through to ensure that recycled water of any type is going to be used safely and for its intended purpose. 

“There are many checks and balances involved, particularly around instrumentation and operational corrective actions, and preventative barriers, to make sure the health of customers is protected.”