South East Water is encouraging its customers with homes connected to recycled water to conduct an annual check to ensure there’s no cross-connection with their drinking water.
Acting South East Water General Manager Service Delivery, Andrew Forster-Knight emphasised the importance of maintaining a safe connection.
“More than 57,000 homes across our service region are enjoying the benefits, including for washing clothes, flushing toilets and outdoor watering,” Forster-Knight said. “Whilst it is safe, of high quality and always in supply, it’s important to check your connection each year. It’s to make sure there’s no cross-connection with drinking water. This is particularly the case if you’ve undertaken plumbing, landscaping or renovation works on your property.”
Customers can identify a recycled water supply by its purple pipes, taps and meter. In new housing estates, these are installed at the time of a home’s construction.
How to check your recycled water connection in 4 steps:
- Turn off the isolation valve at your drinking water meter. Leave the isolation valve at the purple meter turned on.
- Turn on all sink, bath and shower taps (hot and cold) one by one. All taps should run dry after a short time.
- After the taps have run dry, flush all toilets. They should refill as normal.
- Turn on all outdoor taps. All outdoor drinking water taps (if you have them) should run dry, while the purple taps should continue to flow.
- If this doesn’t happen, it could mean there’s a cross connection, which is where the two water supplies are connected to the wrong outlets.
Customers who suspect a cross-connection are urged to contact a South East Water Recycled Water Officer on 03 9552 3219.
Learn more at: Recycled Water | South East Water
South East Water produces around 1.6 billion litres of recycled water each year from its 8 plants for homes, businesses, agriculture and open spaces. This helps to save precious drinking water supplies and protect the environment.
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