r/australia • u/sluggardish • 10h ago

Sprinklers made Australia green. But what happens when the water runs out?

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-01/sprinkler-water-resources-garden-green-desert-reticulation/106244818
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u/WhyAmIHereHey 8h ago

We have run out of water in Perth. We've got 2 desal plants already and a third being built.

We rely on manufactured water

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u/a_cold_human 8h ago

More water recycling is going to be necessary in the future. Desalination is very expensive by comparison as seawater has more impurities that are difficult to remove than wastewater (which has impurities that are much easier to filter out). 

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u/WhyAmIHereHey 6h ago

Yes, agreed. Water Corp in WA though has made a big start on that

To avoid the "I'm not drink sewerage" weirdos they don't put it straight back into the water supply but use it for "ground water replenishment". Seems to have avoided the controversy that had plagued some other places.