The draft report on Secondary Water Use in the ACT by the Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission (ICRC), released in May, is a refreshing analysis of non-potable water sources. A key finding (for an economic regulator) was that secondary water options should be considered for their economic, environmental and social contribution to the water system as a whole. Financially, if the potable water system already provides water security for many years, then new secondary water systems are not assisting in deferring further potable supply infrastructure and should be compared with the marginal cost to end users of treatment and reticulation, about 30c/kL.
展开▼
