2005 ED Awards - Partnerships

CITY OF ONKAPARINGA

Within the City of Onkaparinga in South Australia resides the McLaren Vale Wine Region, regarded as one of Australia's premier wine producing areas.  Good soils and benign temperatures have assisted the expansion of the industry in the area.  However, threats to the prosperous future include low rainfall and the increasing cost of water for irrigation, both of which could limit future growth.

In the first venture of its kind, the City of Onkaparinga is now brokering the use of water from United Utilities Australia's wastewater effluent infrastructure. This is linked to the distribution network, developed by the Willunga Basin Water Company, and provided the legislative mandate to create and manage the billing arrangements.

In doing so, the project overcame different organisational cultures, different approaches to identifying and managing risk, and different commercial and community imperatives to form a partnership that will provide services for a generation.

The outcomes are potable water for the expanding vineyard industry, the renewal of ageing Septic Tank Effluent Disposal Scheme, infrastructure, and a reduction in dependence on South Australia's diminishing natural water resources. All in all, a commendable initiative in turning wastewater into wine.