Hunter Water says its making headway on the Lower Hunter Desalination Plant.
John Holland Group has been appointed to get started on detailed technical investigations and designs for the plant with work continuing on Hunter Water-owned land and in the ocean.
Hunter Water Managing Director, Darren Cleary, said now is the right time to advance such investigations and designs to secure our region’s long-term water future.
“We know our region’s storages can go from full to critical in less than three years, so it’s vital we capitalise on this moment when water is plentiful.
“Work will ramp up early next year when a large exploration rig will be positioned offshore to take core samples from the seabed to improve our understanding of seafloor conditions for the desalination plant’s seawater intake pipeline,” said Mr Cleary.
The desalination plant will add up to 30 million litres per day of rainfall-independent water supply to the Lower Hunter’s water system, which is around 15% of the region’s average daily water needs
Minister for Lands and Water, Kevin Anderson, said it’s crucial planning work happens now, so the Lower Hunter is ready and resilient for the future.
“There may be abundant water right now, and while Hunter storages are at their fullest, we must make the most of this opportunity to prepare for future dry periods.
“Building the Belmont desalination plant will add up to 30 million litres per day of rainfallindependent drinking water capacity to the system, or about 15 per cent of the region’s average daily needs,” said Mr Anderson.
In parallel, Hunter Water is partnering with Water Infrastructure NSW to investigate options to extract water from the Paterson River, released by Lostock Dam for supply into Hunter Water’s drinking water network. This proposal would involve a water supply pump station near Paterson and a new water treatment plant and pipeline to connect to the Maitland region.