Wauchope embraces save water message at annual Show

Whizzy the Water Drop meets the 2006 Wauchope Showgirls.	WaterWise team member Kim Freeman speaks with Hastings resident Tracey Richards about the new Wauchope water treatment plant.

Thursday, May 4, 2006
The Wauchope water treatment plant, dam levels, water pricing and water saving devices for  the home were the most popular topics of discussion for Port Macquarie-Hastings Council’s WaterWise team at the 2006 Wauchope Show.

The level of interest is proof Hastings residents are continuing to embrace the ‘save water’ message.

The Wauchope water treatment plant project on Rosewood Road will be commissioned in September and officially opened by November.

The facility, using state-of-the-art filtration technology, will improve the drinking water for the Wauchope water supply scheme. This includes Wauchope, Beechwood, King Creek and Sancrox areas.

The water treatment plant is another vital link in the Hastings District Water Supply Scheme and Port Macquarie-Hastings Council’s long-term water management strategy.

“The project site is now at a stage where residents can see and appreciate the engineering and technology that has come together to provide the region with drinking water of only the very highest standard,” water supply manager Murray Thompson said.

“The treatment plant will also be used to continue Council’s water education campaign by allowing residents to tour the facility and see first hand the amazing process that delivers water from the Hastings River to their homes.”

The Wauchope facility will use a state-of-the-art micro-filtration system to remove nutrients that exist and enter the water particularly during rain.

The membrane filters, currently being installed by Veolia Water Systems, remove particles and organisms as small as 0.1 micron to produce crystal clear water. The process is the same used by mineral water bottling companies.

This means water can be pumped any time of the year, providing the river flow meets strict environmental guidelines.

The facility will include a water treatment plant building, clear water pumping station, five megalitre clear water reservoir, rainwater tanks for internal uses, treatment waste processing and reclamation equipment as well as educational facilities.

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