Taste the future at World Environment Day

It’s clean, it’s safe and Toowoomba City Council is giving you the chance to taste it for yourself. Council will bring out the 100% recycled purified water for tasting at their stall on Sunday at World Environment Day celebrations at Lake Annand. “Some people wrongly believe we are asking them to drink sewage,” Cr Joe Ramia, with the portfolio for water, said. “What we are recycling is the water.”

Councillors believe that once people see that recycled water is odourless, crystal clear and tastes like purified bottled water they will be more prepared to accept it.

“We all know seeing is believing, which is why we brought over this 100% recycled purified water from Singapore,” Cr Ramia said.

Singapore’s NEWater is the same product as will be produced by the Advanced Water Treatment Plant Council plans to build.

“It is six star quality rated sparkling clean water,” Cr Ramia said. “This is what will be produced by the Advanced Water Treatment Plant.”

The recycled water will then gravitate to Cooby Dam under the Water Futures proposal, to be mixed with the dam water. Toowoomba’s drinking water will continue to be a combination of bore water and water from all three dams, which is pumped to Mt Kynoch for further treatment before being released to our homes and businesses.

“People who feel that they don’t know enough about Water Futures should come along Sunday,” Cr Ramia said, “not just to taste the water but to ask questions and get an understanding of water recycling.”

“There are so many benefits Water Futures will give Toowoomba and it is important people understand these before they go to the polls on July 29.”

The World Environment Day event runs from 10am until 4pm on Sunday, June 4, at Lake Annand. Council’s stall will be manned all day so people can wander up and ask questions or taste the NEWater.

Manager of Laboratory Services Alan Kleinschmidt will be giving a presentation at 11am on Water Futures and at 1.15pm Mayor Dianne Thorley will also give an address.