Key milestone for Bathurst Stormwater Harvesting

The innovative Bathurst Stormwater Harvesting project has reached a major milestone after local Bathurst company Hynash Constructions Pty Ltd was awarded the construction tender.

The project is part of a $20 million investment from the NSW Government to boost Bathurst’s water security by providing another reliable drinking water supply.

The stormwater harvesting scheme will include a 36 megalitre storage pond off Morrisett Street and an 8 megalitre storage pond at the Water Treatment Plant to capture stormwater run-off from drains and local catchments.

Once it is harvested and collected, the stormwater will be pumped back to the Bathurst water treatment plant for filtration so that it is safe to use.

The scheme will have the ability to capture around 1500 megalitres of stormwater during rainfall and runoff events every year - which is approximately one third of the water used by Bathurst when under water restrictions.

Harvesting, treating and storing stormwater is sound water management that will reduce dependence on main water supplies enabling it to be used for drinking and other activities such as irrigation, flushing toilets, watering gardens and washing cars.

The town’s vulnerability to drought was highlighted in 2020 when the city’s water supply dam, Chifley Dam, was at historically low levels and water restrictions were implemented for the first time in 20 years.

The project will help bolster drought resilience by diversifying water supply options to help Bathurst manage a more variable climate.

The project is expected to start construction before the end of the year and will take approximately nine months to complete.