Making the best use of all our resources

Purified recycled water, sometimes referred to as potable reuse, is the process of using treated wastewater for drinking water that provides additional options for expanding a region’s water resource portfolio.

Potable reuse is often described as either Indirect Potable Reuse or Direct Potable Reuse.

  • Indirect Potable Reuse (IPR) involves blending purified recycled water with other environmental systems such as a river, reservoir or groundwater basin, before the water is reused for drinking water.

  • Direct Potable Reuse (DPR) involves putting purified recycled water directly into a potable water supply distribution system downstream of a drinking water plant or into the source water supply immediately upstream of the drinking water plant.
Key resources

Resources

Australian Guidelines for Potable Reuse

Prof Don Birsill  and David Cunliffe discuss Australian water recycling guidelines, regulatory systems and public safety for recycled water for drinking.

  • 15 Jun, 2017
  • Dale Watson

Clarifiers Animation

This animation explains how clarifiers work to remove suspended solids from water during treatment.

  • 14 Jun, 2017
  • Dale Watson

Think and Drink – Systems Thinking

This short animation uses the water recycling system on the International Space Station to introduce the idea that all water on Earth is and always…

  • 14 Jun, 2017
  • Dale Watson

Community Understanding of Risk and Safety

Project Report Water Reuse and Communities Toolkit Module 2: Community Understanding of Risk and Safety in relation to Recycled Water A report of a study…

  • 07 Dec, 2014
  • Dale Watson