We're committed to supporting the regional community and economic development and recognises that available water resources are limited and are shared between human consumption, environmental and cultural needs.
This information has been developed to assist Councils, developers and proponents of large, non-residential water use, including data centres, to understand the guiding principles North East Water follows in decision making around servicing these facilities.
Guiding principles
Sustainable water resources management: water corporations must manage water resources sustainably and effectively integrate economic, environmental and social objectives to support sustainable and liveable communities.
Long-term considerations: decisions must be based on the best available information, including 50-year climate projections and regional Urban Water Strategies.
Security of supply: water corporations manage risks to protect the quality and security of supply of water and wastewater services for all users, which includes assessing the impact of high demand applicants like data centres on the broader system.
Equity: new developments must not negatively impact the water availability, affordability or service levels of existing residential and small business customers.
Risk management: corporations must assess and manage risks to protect the quality and security of supply for existing customers before approving new high-demand connections.
Trade waste management: data centres that discharge cooling water into the sewer are subject to trade waste obligations, which require water corporations to protect sewerage systems and facilitate recycling or reuse of wastewater.
Early engagement: consultation should begin at the feasibility stage—before land acquisition—to understand water availability, impacts on water security and infrastructure construction responsibilities and construction timelines.
Circular economy: preference be given to projects that demonstrate ‘water-positive’ designs, such as heat recovery, onsite recycling and closed-loop water efficient systems.
Protection of drinking water supplies: Proponents using evaporative, adiabatic or other open-loop systems are expected to meet cooling needs from recycled or other non-drinking sources or hold an agreement with North East Water to transition when available. Where recycled or non drinking water is not yet available, proponents are expected to agree a plan with North East Water to offset interim drinking water use through funding agreements or water efficiency programs.
Water security and supply responsibility: Where raw or potable water is used, proponents are expected to secure water entitlement for their operations to ensure that water security, affordability or service levels for existing urban water customers are not compromised.
Design for drought: Facilities relying on drinking water must be designed so water use can be reduced when restrictions are imposed. In cases where an alternative water source may be used as a drinking water source, such as purified recycled water, North East Water may also apply the same principle to the alternative water source.
Water-efficient design: Proponents are expected to incorporate water-efficient, circular and climate-resilient design, such as closed-loop systems, and put in place onsite measures to manage disruptions to water supply. A design water use efficiency (dWUE) of ≤ 1.0 is expected for drinking water or ≤ 1.6 for non potable or as otherwise agreed with North East Water and align with mandatory minimum water-use standards being developed by the Australian Government.
Infrastructure cost responsibility: Proponents are expected to fully fund all water, wastewater and recycled water infrastructure, network augmentations and other project-specific works required to service their development, in accordance with the applicable New Customer Contributions Framework and North East Water requirements.
Water demand and efficiency planning: Proponents are expected to provide robust estimates of annual, seasonal and peak water demand; identify proposed water sources and cooling technologies; establish measurable water-efficiency targets; and report ongoing water use and efficiency performance to North East Water.
Cumulative impacts: North East Water will assess the cumulative water, wastewater and infrastructure impacts of a proposed development, considering existing demand, committed developments and other reasonably foreseeable large-user proposals
Definitions
A ‘data centre’ is a secure facility that houses large-scale computing systems, including those that are essential for supporting the rapid growth of artificial intelligence. Depending on the technology used, they can require significant electricity and water, with water often used for cooling.
A ‘large, non-residential’ customer uses more than 20ML/yr of water from reticulated networks. Water needs for these users exceed typical commercial consumption and therefore require more detailed and often bespoke servicing assessments, infrastructure planning and regulatory oversight.
Further information
Contact North East Water’s Urban Growth team at development@newater.com.au or 1300 361 622.