Gold Coast City Council is implementing the Pimpama Coomera Master Plan to guarantee a water supply for its current and future residents. The suburbs of Pimpama and Coomera in the city’s north are experiencing a population boom, with more than 150,000 people expected to be residing there by 2056.
The entire south east region of Queensland has a history of drought combined with steady population growth, making water conservation a critical issue.
Gold Coast City Council’s Water Sustainability Committee Chair, Councillor Daphne McDonald, said the master plan would see highly treated recycled water and rainwater used for activities where drinking water was not necessary. A recycled water treatment plant will be built at Pimpama, using specialised ultrafiltration, chlorination and disinfection processes to produce Class A+ recycled water, the highest quality recycled water available in Queensland.
Class A+ recycled water will be available to customers in Pimpama and Coomera by the end of 2008, to be used in homes and businesses for flushing toilets and watering gardens or washing cars.
Rainwater tanks will provide water to laundries, bathrooms and hot water systems so that the region’s precious drinking water is only used in kitchens. All new homes in Pimpama and Coomera are required to install dual flush toilets, AAA rated shower roses and water pressure limiting devices.
Councillor McDonald said the Master Plan was an integral part of the Gold Coast’s Waterfuture Strategy 2006-2056, a blueprint for the building of a community that will capture, use and re-use water in innovative ways.
“We are aiming to reduce the use of drinking water in Pimpama Coomera by up to 84 per cent and improve practices for protecting the surrounding environment,” Councillor McDonald said.
She said water sensitive urban design principles were being implemented throughout the community.
Roadside curbs and gutters are being replaced by swales, which are v-shaped ditches planted with long grasses that act as a natural filtration device to clean stormwater of sediment and debris. Swales also slow the water flow, allowing it to feed surrounding vegetation as it passes through and reducing erosion of the surrounding environment.
Councillor McDonald said the master plan would set an international benchmark for integrated urban water cycle management.
“As well as dramatically curbing water consumption, it will ensure recycled water is seen as a resource, not a waste product,” she said. “The ability of the region to sustain future growth and economic prosperity will rely heavily upon proper management and use of water resources. Plans to implement smarter water systems now will position the region at the forefront of Australia’s sustainability goals.”
The Pimpama Coomera Master Plan won the 2005 Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM) President’s Award at the annual Project Management Achievement Awards.
For further information contact Pimpama Coomera Alliance Program Manager, Peter Ham, on (07) 5582 8752 or email pham@goldcoastwater.com.au
