Recycled water pipe turned on in South Australia

Billions of litres of drinking water will be saved after the tap was turned on at a new pipe carrying recycled water to Adelaide parklands. The $76.25 million Glenelg to Adelaide pipeline project is a 32km network of pipes providing recycled water from the Glenelg Wastewater Treatment Plant to Adelaide's city gardens and parks.

Premier Mike Rann and federal Water Minister Penny Wong turned on the tap in Adelaide on Monday morning. Senator Wong said the new pipeline would reduce Adelaide's dependency on the Murray River, which is at the centre of a national water debate.

Extensive rainfall in NSW does not guarantee South Australia will see any of the flows under current water-sharing rules. The current arrangements mean the water flowing into the Menindee Lakes in western NSW will be released to flow down the Darling River and into the Murray River only if the storage level exceeds 640 gigalitres.

Last week, South Australian Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young called for Mr Rann to wean the state from its reliance on the Murray.

More: http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/recycled-water-pipe-turned-on-in-sa-20100111-m1qp.html