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Toolern sets new standard for water management

Wednesday, 24 August 2011

A new suburb being built south of Melton is set to create a benchmark for Victoria by officially becoming Australia's first water neutral suburb.

Water Minister Peter Walsh today visited Toolern which is expected to house 50,000 residents by 2030.

"These kinds of developments are the way of the future, which is why the Victorian Coalition Government has set aside $50 million to help fund projects which integrate the use of stormwater, recycled water and rainfall," Mr Walsh said

"Toolern will capture and reuse stormwater and recycled water to greatly reduce the suburb's demand for potable water.

"It will be the first suburb in Victoria where a potable water substitution target is being included in its precinct structure plan.

"Homes in the new development will be supplied with Class A recycled water from the Surbiton Park Recycled Water Plant to flush toilets, water gardens and wash cars.

"Stormwater will be captured and held in wetlands for treatment and filtration before it is piped to Melton Reservoir for future reuse, such as irrigation within Toolern or in other parts of the region."

"The self-sustaining nature of this development is particularly important here, in what is one of the lower rainfall areas of the state," Mr Walsh said.

Up to 3,500 megalitres of stormwater will be harvested in Toolern each year, with around 2,700 megalitres of recycled water supplied by Western Water to flush toilets and water gardens and outdoor spaces.

Western Water's managing director John Wilkinson said the amount of water harvested at Toolern for reuse would be roughly equal to the amount of drinking water used by residents.

"Toolern will truly be a suburb of the future when it comes to water management, setting the standard for urban planning in Victoria in a time of climate change," Mr Wilkinson said.

"The integrated water management plan for Toolern focuses on local solutions for providing water security. This sort of innovation will be crucial to making communities sustainable as the region's population grows."

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