Recycled water
Our city's recycled water is produced to strict health and environmental standards and plays an important part in our water cycle.
Our use of recycled water is increasing as one of the largest urban utility users in Australia. Our customers can apply to use recycled water for irrigation purposes for:
- agricultural organisations
- wholesale nurseries
- educational institutions
- recreational facilities including sports clubs and golf courses
- large hotels and resorts
- manufacturing business
- construction (via dust suppression during roadworks).
Benefits of using recycled water
- Provides an alternative water supply approximately 8 times cheaper than drinking water
- Reduces the demand on drinking water supplies so more water is available for essential use
- Drought proofs water-dependent assets such as parks, recreation facilities and critical habitats
- Enhances greenspaces and promotes vibrant, safe and liveable communities
- Reduces the amount of recycled water safely discharged into the ocean
Connections
We provide two types of connections:
- Fixed site – for greenspace and landscape irrigation. The site should meet legislative requirements, pass commissioning checks and the business needs a Recycled Water Supply Agreement. To lodge an expression of interest, visit Recycled water fixed site connections.
- Recycled water filling stations – for irrigation, dust suppression and roadworks. To find out how to apply to be a recycled water carrier, visit Recycled water carrier connections.
Expanding the recycled water network
The Recycled Water Network Expansion Project is a major investment in our recycled water infrastructure. The project will improve recycled water quality and enable over 100 new customers to connect to Class A recycled water.
Stage 1 of the project successfully connected 18 new fixed site customers including the Gold Coast Sports Precinct and People First Stadium to the Merrimac recycled water treatment plant.
Stage 2 is planned to commence in 2026 to include schools, parks, body corporates and golf courses, like the Gold Coast Botanic Gardens, Gold Coast Turf Club and HOTA. This stage will continue to support water sustainability saving up to 500,000 litres of drinking water each day and delivering ongoing economic benefits for customers.
Any future expansion of the network will be demand-led, aligning with the needs of the community. For more information, visit Recycled water expansion network.