2019 Alternative Water Supplies Efficiency Measures project - Feasibility Study
Alternative Water Supply Efficiency Measures Program grants
The South Australian government is establishing a new grant program to help South Australia deliver water savings to the Murray Darling Basin. The program is funded under the Australian Government Resilient Rivers Water Infrastructure Program: State-led Water Recovery Program Arrangements.
The program will provide funding to invest in infrastructure that will substitute River Murray water used for open space irrigation and industrial uses in South Australia with stormwater, treated wastewater or other alternative water sources.
As well as providing an environmental benefit to the River Murray by returning water entitlements under the Basin Plan, the program will deliver a wide range of benefits for urban areas.
Applications are now open for Alternative Water Supply Efficiency Measures Program grants.
The South Australian government led grant program will provide funding to invest in delivery of capital works relating to construction, replacement, upgrading, or otherwise providing alternative water supply infrastructure (such as stormwater, recycled water, or wastewater reuse) that directly offsets water that would otherwise have been sourced from the River Murray.
More detail on who can apply and what is eligible for funding is available in the Guide for Applicants (PDF, 894 KB).
Applications are open to urban alternative water projects that can commence construction by 30 September 2025 and reach practical completion by 30 June 2027.
How to apply for funding?
The application form and attachments should be sent to AWSEM@sa.gov.au by 14 March 2025 (unless otherwise agreed with DEW).
Resources
- AWSEM Application Form (PDF, 142 KB)
- AWSEM Application Attachments (Excel, 162 KB)
- AWSEM Guide for Applicants (PDF, 894 KB)
- AWSEM Information Sheet (PDF, 2.7 MB)
In 2019 the Department for Environment and Water (DEW) received funding from the Australian Government to assess the feasibility of increasing alternative water use to replace River Murray water. This project was an efficiency measures projects under the Water Efficiency Program delivered by the Australian Government’s Department of Agriculture.
DEW collaborated with key stakeholders, particularly alternative water supply scheme owners and operators and SA Water to complete the study. The assessment focused on the feasibility of increasing the volume of water supplied from existing recycled water and stormwater capture and re-use schemes to replace demands currently supplied by mains water.
The study investigated the engineering solutions required, potential demands for alternative water, the volume of stormwater that could reliably be harvested to meet demands, risks associated with increasing storage of water underground, governance arrangements to support project delivery and options for River Murray entitlement return.
