Plan to grow more Australian vegies using 'wasted' recycled water
abc.net.au/news/plan-to-unlock-unused-land-in-australias-salad-bowl/101357602A plan to use recycled water, which currently runs out to sea, could double the production of food in Australia's salad bowl, avoiding future vegetable imports by shoring up domestic supply.The Lockyer Valley Somerset Water Collaborative aims to unlock recycled water to grow more vegetables
"We see more and more foodstuffs coming from overseas when we have the capacity to grow so much more here locally, and indeed develop our own earnings through further export to those countries looking for clean and healthy food," the collaborative's chairman Graham Quirk said.
"Even today, with a plentiful supply of water we're still about 60 to 70 per cent utilisation of land."Purified recycled water could be treated to drinking water standards. Somerset Regional Council Mayor Graeme Lehman described the scheme as a no-brainer but said getting people to accept recycled water had been one of the biggest hold-ups.
"The Queensland government has met with members of the Lockyer Valley and Somerset Collaborative — including chair Graham Quirk, local mayors and irrigators in the Lockyer Valley — on several occasions, including earlier this year, to discuss the proposal," he said. "Right now, around 3.8 million people call south-east Queensland home and our population is expected to grow by 2 million people over the next 25 years," she said.
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