A NEW water treatment plant at the Noosa North Shore resort in Queensland has the potential to save governments millions by removing the need for large dam infrastructure projects, according to its designers, EcoNova. The water reclamation plant, commissioned by EcoNova in February 2006, is designed to meet all of the resort’s non-potable water requirements using wastewater treated to Grade A+ standards, surpassing the EPA guidelines for treatment, which EcoNova said has not been possible until recently. The significant advantage of the EcoNova plant is its capacity to treat all wastewater, including sewage effluent (blackwater), as opposed to the more traditional grey water reclamation systems, which source water from bathroom, laundry and kitchen sources. The system has been commissioned in two stages. The first stage having a treatment capacity of 110kL/day with the second stage increasing this capacity to 240kL/day. The treatment system reduces the demand for fresh drinking water from the state’s dams and reduces the amount of nutrients and pollutants leaving the site, helping to preserve the ecological balance at the tourist resort. Potable water consumption will be reduced by 10- 15% at the site by watering lawns with reclaimed water and replacing the sewage treatment plant with the state-of-the-art water reclamation plant. All infrastructure operates onsite and is independent, including rainwater harvesting, purification, recycling and sewage. A plant similar in size to Noosa North Shore’s unit could save a community 60% of normal potable water usage - due to the quality and many uses of reclaimed water, through toilet flushing, car washing and watering gardens. www.noosanorthshore.com.au Phone: 07 5447 1225