South Australian councils operate 175 Community Wastewater Management Schemes (CWMS), with many successfully recycling treated wastewater for irrigation of public open spaces, sporting facilities, vineyards, crops and other beneficial uses. These schemes play an important role in supporting sustainable water management and reducing reliance on drinking water supplies.

As recycled water schemes evolve, councils are increasingly required to navigate a range of technical, operational and regulatory considerations. Keeping up to date with wastewater treatment performance, operational monitoring, risk management requirements, approvals, treatment validation and recycled water compliance can be challenging, particularly for smaller councils managing multiple responsibilities across their organisations.

The Future Ready Reuse project aims to improve awareness, readiness and capability across the sector by providing practical guidance, tools and training focused on both wastewater treatment and recycled water management. Through a series of regional workshops, councils will have the opportunity to build their understanding of treatment processes, critical control points, monitoring requirements, risk management, recycled water approvals and operational best practice, while sharing experiences and lessons learned with peers from across South Australia.

The project is focused on delivering practical, fit-for-purpose information that councils can apply within their own schemes to support safe and sustainable recycled water reuse now and into the future.

About the project

Who Should Attend?

These workshops are designed for council staff involved in the operation, management, planning and compliance oversight of wastewater and recycled water schemes.

• CWMS operators

• Infrastructure and asset managers

• Environmental Health Officers

• Engineers and technical services staff

• Managers responsible for wastewater and recycled water services

Workshop Topics

• Recycled water regulations, approvals and compliance obligations

• Treatment barriers and log reduction values (LRVs)

• Critical control points, critical limits and operational monitoring

• Wastewater treatment processes, performance, sampling and verification monitoring

• Recycled water irrigation controls to manage health and environmental risks

• Practical case studies from South Australian council wastewater and recycled water schemes

• Future opportunities, scheme readiness and planning for change

Workshop content will be tailored to participant needs and interests identified through the registration process.

Workshop Format

Three full-day workshops will be delivered in regional locations across South Australia.

Each workshop will combine presentations, practical examples, case studies and discussion sessions designed to encourage knowledge sharing and collaboration between councils.

Final workshop locations and dates will be confirmed following the expression of interest process to ensure they are accessible to participants and reflect regional demand.

Workshop Outcomes

✔ Increased awareness of recycled water regulations, approvals and compliance obligations

✔ Improved understanding of recycled water risks and risk management principles

✔ Better understanding of treatment barriers and LRVs

✔ Greater confidence with CCPs and critical limits

✔ Practical knowledge of operational control and monitoring

✔ Clearer understanding of sampling and verification monitoring

✔ Improved scheme readiness and future reuse planning

Why attend?

Practical - Real examples from South Australian council wastewater and recycled water schemes.

Relevant - Content focused on the challenges faced by councils operating CWMS and recycled water schemes.

Collaborative - Learn from peers and share experiences with councils across regional South Australia.

Free - Funded through the South Australian LGA Community Wastewater Innovation Fund (CWIF).

Future Focused - Explore opportunities to improve scheme resilience, compliance and long-term reuse outcomes.