6.5 Wet season capture and dry season security clarification

Hi Tarah,

Yes, rainwater is being collected and stored in the wet season so that it can be used in the dry season where water availability is scarce.

There are two main water systems at Port Stewart currently:
The newly installed drinking water system comprises:
– A rainwater harvesting system installed on the ranger base with gutters, leaf mesh on the gutters, gutter guards on the downpipes, and a charged downpipe system that feeds to the storage tank
– A large 250,000 L tank, complete with concrete foundation, roof, poly liner, overflow, outlet, float level indicator and Farmbot level and flow instruments
– A pump, filter and UV system comprising a small pump, 3 cartridge filters and a UV system
– Copper reticulation piping to a tap at the sink in the storage area near the ranger base, and to a system set up for filling 1000 L IBCs used by the community for transporting water, and referred to as “pods”.
The water collected by the rainwater harvesting system is used as drinking water.

The river water system has been an important water source for the community with upgrades in 2018 involving a new intake and iron removal filter. There have been reports of very high concentrations of dissolved iron and the proliferation of iron-related bacteria (IRB) which has resulted in staining, poor taste and turbidity.
The river water system provides non-potable water that is useful for flushing toilets, showering, cooking, laundry and other uses.

This might be a useful resource: https://ewb.org.au/blog/2025/05/14/the-power-of-partnerships-unlocking-access-to-clean-water-on-lama-lama-country/

I hope this helps!

Kind regards,
Evelyn

• This reply was modified 2 weeks, 1 day ago by Evelyn Todio.