The Edgeworth Eagles home ground is set to be one of the greenest in the region.
Hunter Water has collaborated with Lake Macquarie City Council to invest $6 million to ensure community parks and sporting fields are kept green, even in drought through a new recycled eater irrigation scheme.
The recycled water capacity at the Edgeworth Wastewater Treatment works will be increased to pump out an additional 20 megalitres of recycled water per year for Jack McLaughlan Oval / Edgeworth Oval in Edgeworth and the Pasterfield Sports Complex in Cameron Park.
Hunter Water Managing Director, Darren Cleary, said recycled water is a safe option that conserves valuable drinking water by matching alternative water sources with appropriate water uses.
“Our community increasingly expects Hunter Water to improve our region’s water resilience and sustainability and that’s the real benefit from this project: improving the resilience of beautiful community assets.”
“Our community has told us they want to see more water recycling and they are willing to pay to support this. The Edgeworth scheme will replace drinking water to ensure these community assets continue to be in good condition,” said Darren Cleary.
Lake Macquarie City Council Mayor, Kay Fraser, said using recycled water will help ensure playing fields are available to be used all year round, even in the event of a future drought.
“It will also ensure we can keep our sporting fields, gardens and other public spaces green, which is important for the amenity and wellbeing of our community,” said Mayor Fraser.
Now in the design and investigations phase, Hunter Water anticipates starting construction late next year with recycled water supplied from the scheme in early 2024.
The Lake Macquarie recycled water irrigation project builds on the March announcement that Hunter Water, the Newcastle Jockey Club and City of Newcastle signed a three-party Memorandum of Understanding to further explore and investigate capturing stormwater to irrigate the Newcastle Racecourse and nearby sporting fields.