The Aus$ 48 million (US$ 52.6 million) recycled water plant in Altona, Australia, was commissioned on 19 April 2011 by Victoria state’s minister for water, Peter Walsh.
Walsh said up to 9,000 m³/d of Class A recycled water would be available for manufacturing and irrigation use saving more than 2.5 million m³ of drinking water each year, reducing demand on Melbourne’s potable water supplies.
The plant uses both single-pass and double-pass reverse osmosis to treat effluent from the plant, removing salt and other contaminants. The recycled water is then pumped via a purpose-built pipeline to plastics manufacturer Qenos for cooling tower and boiler operation, and to two golf-courses and council-owned public space for irrigation