Ministerial Statement

CHELTENHAM PARK

The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD (Chaffey—Minister for the River Murray, Minister for Water Security) (14:06): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD: I am pleased to advise the house that the state government has today committed to a greatly enhanced stormwater capture and reuse project to provide 1.2 gigalitres per year to the Cheltenham racecourse redevelopment.

This $20 million project will allow new homes at the site and nearby industrial users to be connected to dual reticulation systems to use harvested stormwater for non-potable purposes, such as garden watering and toilet flushing, similar to that at Mawson Lakes. It will include a 4.5-hectare wetland and aquifer storage and recovery scheme with the capacity to treat, store, recover and reuse about 1.2 gigalitres of stormwater harvested from the 49-hectare site, the Torrens Road catchment, as well as parts of the Hindmarsh catchment and the Torrens River.

This project will see a wetland and ASR scheme at the site that is six times larger than what was initially anticipated. The state government is committed to developing and investing in stormwater harvesting projects, and this project is a prime example of all stakeholders—except the opposition—working together to develop feasible options.

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for MacKillop will come to order!

The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD: The government's goal in its 2005 Waterproofing Adelaide strategy was to increase annual stormwater reuse to 20,000 megalitres by 2025, or about 10 per cent of Adelaide's mains water use. I am very pleased to be able to advise the house that prior to this project we were already well and truly on track to reach that target by 2010—15 years earlier—and this project now ensures we will not only meet that target but well and truly exceed it. The state government was clear from the start that this development would not go ahead unless it provided for a wetlands and stormwater harvesting scheme. Today we have delivered on that promise.

This project comes on top of significant investment in stormwater and wastewater recycling projects by this government, including:

Waterproofing northern Adelaide in partnership with a number stakeholders led by the Salisbury council, which is substituting 12.1 gigalitres per year of drinking water currently used for industrial and urban irrigation with treated stormwater;

Lochiel Park Green Village, where treated stormwater will be used for non-potable purposes, including open space irrigation, by around 100 residential properties;

Metropolitan Adelaide Stormwater Reuse project, which could substitute up to one gigalitre per year of water that would otherwise be drawn from Adelaide's groundwater system;

Barker Inlet, with negotiations currently being finalised for a stormwater reuse scheme at Barker Inlet. The scheme has potential to supply 200 to 300 megalitres annually to industry, schools and open spaces; and

The government is also negotiating with Adelaide Airport for a larger-scale stormwater reuse scheme at the airport.

These significant projects, along with our commitment to provide 1.2 gigalitres per year of stormwater to the Cheltenham racecourse redevelopment, clearly displays this government's strong commitment to the harvesting and reuse of stormwater to help secure our long-term water security as one part of our four-way strategy for water security.