RURAL AID DESALINATION UNIT TO SAVE WATER IN TENTERFIELD
The Tenterfield community will have access to an extra 75,000 litres of fresh drinking water each day with the arrival on Tuesday, 30 July of Rural Aid’s mobile desalination unit.
One of the worst droughts in Australia’s history is impacting rural communities in NSW. Like Tenterfield, many areas are looking at ways to maximise and extend their water supply.
Rural Aid CEO, Charles Alder said the Tenterfield Shire had approached Rural Aid to support the community.
“Tenterfield have really been doing it tough and the dam is now down to around 32 per cent. The positioning of this unit in Tenterfield complements the work that the NSW Government is doing in also providing reverse osmosis units to some affected towns. We will continue to work closely with the NSW Government to ensure the best outcomes possible for these regional communities.”
Housed in a 20 ft container, Rural Aid’s salt-free desalination unit will be connected to Tenterfield’s water filtration system and will use the reverse osmosis process.
Currently, for every 10 litres of water filtered through the Shires filtration system, one litre of water is used to process it. In Tenterfield, that is up to 70,000 litres each day, that is lost to Tenterfield’s drinking water. Rural Aid’s desalination unit will extend the town’s drinking can by adding an extra 75,000 litres of fresh drinking water each day.
Tenterfield Shire Council Mayor, Peter Petty said Tenterfield is grateful for the support of all Australians who donated funds to Rural Aid to ensure the Tenterfield community continues to have safe drinking water.
“This new unit will assist in maintaining the dam level until we can source a supplementary supply from elsewhere which Council is currently working very hard in conjunction with the NSW State Government to do. But we are by no means out of the woods and I urge everyone to remain vigilant with their water usage,” Mayor Petty said.
Tenterfield Shire Council will be responsible for the ongoing use and maintenance of the desalination unit for as long as they require it.
About Rural Aid
Rural Aid supports farmers and rural communities in times of natural disaster such as flood, fire and drought. In addition, Rural Aid focusses on supporting the sustainability of regional and farming communities. Its disaster relief program includes the nationally recognised Buy a Bale campaign. Other programs include providing volunteer support to rural towns, musical instruments to regional schools and mental health counselling. Visit www.ruralaid.org.au for further information on these programs and others supporting our rural communities.
Media enquiries:
Raylee Huggett – 0422181796