Water recycling

Canberra’s Lower Molonglo Water Quality Control Centre treats wastewater and plays an important role in keeping the rivers flowing and supporting aquatic life, especially during dry periods. Platypuses are often seen near where the treated water re-enters the Molonglo River, and have been known to visit the plant!

Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth; it’s even drier than Africa!

This means that Australia’s water supply is limited, but a typical Australian lifestyle uses a lot of water.

Of the water we use in our homes and gardens, very little is used as drinking water and over half of the water we use ends up in the sewers. If we can reuse some of this wastewater, we reduce the need for additional fresh water supplies.

While we cannot reuse this wastewater as drinking water, much of it can be reused in other ways that do not require it to be as pure. Water from our showers, baths and laundry to wash our clothes can often be used to water lawns. This recycled water is called greywater.