November 2007
Pimpama Coomera Waterfuture
Master Plan Community eNews
- Cr Daphne McDonald's Introductory Message
- What is the Pimpama Coomera Waterfuture Master Plan?
- Receive Master Plan updates by email and you could win whitegoods worth $1000!
- The 12 month countdown to Class A+ recycled water
- Are you ready for Class A+ recycled water?
- Pimpama Coomera families get ready to fire up the sprinklers again!
- Understanding grey water, wastewater & recycled water
- Residents tour Peanba Park Road reservoirs
- Subscribe / Unsubscribe
- Questions?
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Email: waterinfo@ goldcoast.qld.gov.au
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pimpamacoomera
In this issue:
Cr Daphne McDonald's Introductory Message
Welcome to the first Pimpama Coomera Waterfuture Master Plan e-newsletter. Its purpose is to keep you informed with progression of the Pimpama Coomera Waterfuture Master Plan (Master Plan).
What is the Pimpama Coomera Waterfuture Master Plan?
The Master Plan aims to secure a sustainable water future for residents of Pimpama Coomera by reducing up to 84 percent of drinking water use.
Receive Master Plan updates by email and you could win whitegoods worth $1000!
All subscribers to our e-newsletter updates will enter the draw to win water efficient whitegoods worth up to $1000.
The 12 month countdown to Class A+ recycled water
Councillors Daphne McDonald and Donna Gates visited the Pimpama Recycled Water Treatment Plant site to announce the 12 month countdown to Class A+ recycled water.
Are you ready for Class A+ recycled water?
Take a look at our Class A+ recycled water tips.
Pimpama Coomera families get ready to fire up the sprinklers again!
In just 12 months' time Pimpama Coomera gardens will begin blooming as sprinklers and garden hoses are connected to the Class A+ recycled water supply.
Understanding grey water, wastewater & recycled water
Many people confuse the three but there are some important differences!
Residents tour Peanba Park Road reservoirs
Local residents participate in a tour of the reservoirs and have their say.
Subscribe / Unsubscribe
Questions?
Cr Daphne McDonald's Introductory Message
Welcome to the first Pimpama Coomera Waterfuture Master Plan e-newsletter. Its purpose is to keep you informed with progression of the Pimpama Coomera Waterfuture Master Plan (Master Plan).
Construction for the Master Plan is nearing its closing stages, with the provision of Class A+ recycled water now just 12 months away.
The arrival of Class A+ recycled water will mark a significant step towards realising the Master Plan vision of a sustainable urban water future for the residents of Pimpama Coomera.
The Master Plan is designed to provide new choices to residents living in dual reticulated properties as they benefit from access to water for specific non-drinking purposes such as car washing, outdoor cleaning, garden watering and toilet flushing.
The Master Plan continues to receive international recognition for its water management and environmental initiatives. In June this year, I was honoured to attend the United Nations' World Environment Day Awards (Australian Chapter) in Melbourne to accept the 'Excellence in Water Management' award on behalf of the Master Plan.
Thank you for your continued support and patience during this time as we draw closer to our vision to build a sustainable water supply for the region. We hope you enjoy this inaugural e-newsletter and learn more about the Master Plan's vision for a sustainable water future in Pimpama Coomera.
Cr Daphne McDonald
Deputy Mayor
Chair Water Sustainability Committee
What is the Pimpama Coomera Waterfuture Master Plan?
The Master Plan aims to secure a sustainable water future for residents of Pimpama Coomera by reducing up to 84 percent of drinking water use.
High quality Class A+ recycled water will be supplied to the region for specific non-drinking purposes such as toilet flushing, garden watering, car washing, external cleaning and hose down.
Rainwater tanks will play a key role, along with Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) that uses engineered landscaping features to help slow, reduce and filter stormwater run-off and visually enhance the environment.
Receive Master Plan updates by email and you could win whitegoods worth $1000!
All subscribers to Pimpama Coomera Master Plan Community e-newsletter updates have a chance of winning water efficient whitegoods worth up to $1000 from The Good Guys, Bundall.
The prize draw is running until 14 December 2007, after which a winner will be selected at random from our Master Plan e-newsletter subscription database.
As a current subscriber, your name and email address will automatically be entered into the draw.
Spread the word! Let family and friends know so they can enter too. The prize will be your choice of a Fisher & Paykel four star water efficient dishwasher or washing machine with a recommended retail value of up to $1000.
Family and friends wishing to subscribe and enter the prize draw must visit the website (www.goldcoastwater.com.au/pimpamacoomera) and subscribe with their name and contact details to the Pimpama Coomera Master Plan e-newsletter before 14 December 2007.
See prize draw details and 
terms and conditions (PDF 52kb) for further information.
The 12 month countdown to Class A+
Gold Coast Water Infrastructure Delivery Manager Brett Lawrence, Councillor Daphne McDonald, Councillor Donna Gates and Site Manager Sam Quagliata at the Pimpama Recycled Water Treatment Plant.
On 24 October 2007 Councillor Daphne McDonald, Deputy Mayor and Chair of the Water Sustainability Committee, and Councillor Donna Gates, Division 2 Councillor, visited the Pimpama Recycled Water Treatment Plant site to announce the 12 month countdown to Class A+ recycled water becoming available to homes and businesses in the region.
The announcement, coinciding with National Water Week, took place at the wastewater and recycled water treatment plants at Kerkin Road North, Pimpama, where works are well underway to deliver recycled water to the community by late 2008.
"December 2008 will herald the use of sprinklers again to satisfy thirsty plants", said Councillor McDonald.
"Pimpama Coomera residents whose homes have been specially plumbed with purple pipes to receive recycled water will be able to use Class A+ recycled water to water gardens, lawns and to wash cars and outdoor areas."
Class A+ water is Queensland's highest grade of recycled water for non-drinking purposes such as toilet flushing, garden watering, car washing and exterior hose down.
The Treatment Plant will initially produce nine million litres of high quality recycled water a day. As the local population grows, the production of Class A+ water will increase to meet demand. By 2056, the plant could be producing up to 60 million litres of Class A+ water a day.
Council will provide updates on the provision of Class A+ recycled water and the completion of construction works at the Pimpama Recycled Water Treatment Plant through its Community e-news service and on the Pimpama Coomera website.
Are you ready for Class A+ recycled water?
- If your house has an additional purple pipe network - identified by an additional water meter and purple taps outside the house - you will receive recycled water late next year.
- For now, potable (drinking) water runs through the recycled water pipes.
- All purple outdoor taps should have removable handles.
- All Class A+ recycled water pipes, hoses and other products are coloured purple to avoid confusion with potable (drinking) water and rainwater. Please speak with your plumber or nearest plumbing supplies store for details of these products.
Pimpama Coomera families get ready to fire up the sprinklers again!
In just 12 months' time Pimpama Coomera gardens will begin blooming as residents connect their sprinklers to purple hoses and taps to water their plants with Class A+ recycled water, provided under the Pimpama Coomera Waterfuture Master Plan.
Darren and Jules Davis live in Coomera Waters with their two children, Ally and Brock. Their home. Is dual reticulated, which means it has two completely separate pipe networks: the traditional drinking (potable) water network and a purple coloured Class A+ recycled water network. For easy identification, the entire Class A+ recycled water network is coloured purple including water mains, meters, pipes, taps and hoses.
"One of the reasons we moved to Coomera was because we would have access to recycled water to keep our garden alive," Darren said. "The fact that it is also a beautiful estate due to the clever landscaping that reduces stormwater entering our waterways is an added bonus."
Jules is keen to have both Ally and Brock involved in the daily outdoor activities that Class A+ water will bring.
"We are really excited that the 'switch on' date for Class A+ is now so close," she said. "It will just make life so much easier!"
Understanding grey water, wastewater & recycled water
Many people confuse the three but there are some important differences!
Grey water is domestic wastewater from the bath, basin, kitchen, laundry or shower. Whilst some residents reuse grey water voluntarily (eg: using the water from a washing machine's rinse cycle to water the garden), the Pimpama Coomera Waterfuture Master Plan is NOT a plan for supplying untreated or treated grey water to Gold Coast homes for indoor or outdoor use.
It used to be illegal to reuse grey water in sewered areas, due to health concerns. Some restrictions still apply and reuse of grey water from kitchens is not permitted as grease and oil from the kitchen can clog household plumbing and is detrimental to the environment. Anybody wishing to install a greywater system should contact Mike Oakey in Council's Plumbing and Drainage department on (07) 5582 9028.
Wastewater is all water collected by the wastewater system (the network of pipes that takes used water away from households and businesses) and includes grey water, as indicated above, plus water from toilets (black water). This water is treated at a wastewater treatment plant, and in some cases is further treated at a recycled water treatment plant, to produce recycled water of a desired 'fit-for-purpose' quality.
Recycled water is wastewater treated to a ‘fit-for-purpose' quality ready for reuse. Recycled water standards are defined by the Queensland Government's Recycled Water Guidelines. Recycled water (generally Class B) has been used on the Gold Coast to irrigate golf courses and open spaces for the past 30 years.
Class A+ recycled water is the highest quality of recycled water as defined by the Recycled Water Guidelines. Gold Coast City Council is currently constructing a wastewater treatment plant and a recycled water treatment plant in Pimpama to produce Class A+ recycled water.
Under the Pimpama Coomera Waterfuture Master Plan, Gold Coast City Council will pipe Class A+ recycled water to homes in the Pimpama Coomera region for toilet flushing and external uses such as watering gardens or washing cars. The Master Plan does NOT intend residents use Class A+ recycled water for any other purpose.
Residents tour Peanba Park Road reservoirs
A community site tour of the Peanba Park Road reservoirs was held on Saturday 27 October 2007 for eight members of a local residents' group who had expressed an interest in learning more about the reservoir construction works.
The tour involved a short presentation on the construction schedule, details of the amount of material removed from the site and the approximate finish date for construction works.
This was followed by a tour of the Peanba Park Road reservoir site and other major construction sites in the Pimpama Coomera Waterfuture region.
Residents living close to the Peanba Park Road reservoirs will continue to receive regular updates on the construction activities, including information on:
- Site remediation and re-vegetation
- Management of site truck traffic
- Covering of truck loads to prevent spillage
- Safe working practices on-site and in the local area
The residents who attended the tour found it both interesting and informative. Feedback was wholly positive, with comments such as, "It's great to see how our reservoirs fit into the big picture" and "We can't wait to have access to recycled water for the garden".
Subscribe / Unsubscribe
You have been sent a copy of this Master Plan Community e-newsletter as a key stakeholder for the Pimpama Coomera Waterfuture Master Plan. To be removed from this mailing list or update your details, please email your request to unsubscribe@pcwf.net.au.
If a family member or friend would like to subscribe to this e-newsletter, they should either email their request to subscribe@pcwf.net.au or visit our website at www.goldcoastwater.com.au/pimpamacoomera.
If they subscribe before 14 December they will automatically enter our prize draw to win up to $1000 worth of water efficient white goods!
Questions?
Your feedback is vital to us to ensure we continue to communicate information to you in the best way possible. Please email us at info@pcwf.net.au with any queries regarding the Master Plan or to request any specific information.
Gold Coast City Council, PO Box 5042, Gold Coast MC Queensland 9729
© 2007 Gold Coast City Council