SEQ soccer club gets a kick out of recycled water

Urban Utilities’ recycled water has helped the Lockyer Valley secure a reputation as being home to some of the best soccer grounds in South East Queensland, despite the ongoing drought.

Urban Utilities is responsible for delivering water, recycled water and sewerage services to more than 1.5 million customers in South East Queensland. Its service region is made up of five council areas, including Brisbane, Ipswich, Somerset, the Lockyer Valley and Scenic Rim.

As explained by Urban Utilities spokesperson Anna Hartley, recycled water is highly treated wastewater that can be reused for a range of activities, from irrigation to construction. Indeed, the Gatton Redbacks Soccer Club uses an average of 120,000 litres — or around three backyard swimming pools — of recycled water each day when irrigating its fields.

“Recycled water is used across our service region to irrigate farms, golf courses and sporting fields like the Gatton Soccer Club,” Hartley said.

“It’s not only delivering benefits to the community, it’s also helping reduce demand on our precious drinking water supplies.”

Warren Ford from the Gatton Redbacks Soccer Club said without the regular supply of recycled water from Urban Utilities, games would have been cancelled due to drought.

“We cater to players of all ages and grades, from five-year-old junior players to senior men and women’s teams, and the recycled water has allowed those competitions to continue,” he said.

“The quality of the water is top notch; it’s rich in nutrients and we see the grounds instantly green up when we use it.

“We get lots of comments from other clubs saying these are the best grounds in the competition, so it definitely gives you some pride.”

Hartley said Urban Utilities supplies around 6900 megalitres of recycled water to customers every year and recycles around 70% of all effluent at its regional treatment plants.

“While we’re always looking for opportunities to increase our supply of recycled water to our communities, each connection is assessed on a case-by-case basis,” she said.

“Whether it’s fit for purpose, how far customers are from our treatment plants and what infrastructure needs to be built to connect are some of the things that need to be considered.”

Image caption: Urban Utilities’ recycled water has helped keep the Gatton Redbacks Soccer Club grounds lush and green.