Port Lincoln is set to become a model for regional water sustainability, with a new partnership between SA Water, the City of Port Lincoln and the Department for Education expected to save more than 60 million litres of drinking water each year.
The $1 million initiative will shift irrigation at key community spaces from mains water to safe, highly treated recycled water and investigate opportunities for expansion into local schools. The project will also significantly increase recycled water use at SA Water’s Port Lincoln Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Reducing reliance on drinking water
SA Water General Manager of Customer, Community and Engagement, David Coombe, said the initiative would help future-proof the city’s water supply in a drying climate.
“With our climate getting warmer and drier, having access to climate-resilient and sustainable sources of water is critically important,” Coombe said. “Through this partnership, we’re proactively reducing reliance on Port Lincoln’s drinking water supplies and increasing the volume of treated wastewater that can be reused.”
The first stage includes the installation of 240 metres of new underground recycled water mains connecting the South Point Drive Reserve and a new recycled water connection at Billy Lights Point Reserve. These upgrades will allow both sites to be irrigated year-round using recycled water.
Supporting greener public spaces
At SA Water’s wastewater treatment plant, potable water previously used in operational processes will be replaced with recycled water. Early design work is also underway to explore supplying recycled water to ovals and gardens at selected schools, with investigations to continue into 2026.
“This is a great example of how collaboration can deliver positive outcomes for the community,” Coombe said. “We look forward to seeing the benefits this project brings for Port Lincoln.”
Delivering on sustainability goals
City of Port Lincoln CEO Eric Brown said the council’s role in producing and reusing recycled water is central to its Environmental Sustainability Strategy.
“Council currently produces around 120 megalitres of recycled water each year, and this expansion will increase utilisation by up to 50 per cent,” Brown said. “As the major user of the scheme, it will take Council’s total irrigated space up to 17 hectares of parks, reserves and ovals across Port Lincoln.”
He added that the program strengthens the city’s water security while reducing pressure on the Uley South Basin.
“This partnership marks another important step in ensuring our green spaces continue to thrive, even during dry conditions,” Brown said.
SA Water remains one of Australia’s largest recycled water providers, with around one in every three litres of wastewater treated for reuse in parks, gardens, vineyards and dual reticulation systems across suburban Adelaide.