Sign boards in purple (left) will indicate where the recycled water is being used in Parkes.
As the drought continues its grip in our region, water is becoming an ever increasing precious commodity.
The Parkes Recycled Water Scheme, which will ensure more drinking water re- serves for our town, will be turned on this summer as crews are about to embark on the end-user connections.
The Advanced Water Recycling Facility is up and running, the purpose-built Recycled Water Rising Main completed, and recycled water is already irrigating the Golf Club, Jockey Club, Armstrong Park and the Town Entry Garden. The final step is to connect the remaining end-users to the scheme.
FB Contracting will connect the recycled water pipeline to the existing irrigation systems at the parks and sporting fields.
Two separate teams will work on the connections to simultaneously connect different parks to the scheme, ensuring Parkes can make the switch to recycled water as soon as possible. The minor works will be relatively low-impact, and are not expected to have direct impacts on properties or traffic. Each site will take approximately seven days to connect, with a further 14 days al- lowed for commissioning activities.
The parks and fields will be accessible during these works. The first locations to be connected are Lions Memorial Park and Davey Park, starting on Monday, 4th November. The works will then progress to the remaining parks, with an anticipated completion date of Friday, 20th December.
“This project has been in the pipeline for years, but with the ongoing drought the new Recycled Water Scheme couldn’t come at a better time for the town,” said Parkes Mayor Ken Keith OAM.
“Although the new Recycled Water Scheme is not available for residential use it will ease pressure on our town water supplies when demand is at its peak,” said Ken. “It certainly is going to make a great Christmas present for Parkes.”