Revisiting Recycled Water for the Next Drought; a Case Study of South East Queensland, Australia

Australia has long been observed to experience ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) of alternating flooding and drought. It is currently experiencing its fourth year of La Niña heavy rain and flooding. At some stage this will revert to one or more years of El Nino drought, often severe. In previous years of drought consideration was given to alternative water supply including recycled wastewater. This paper reflects upon the case of the previous period of El Niño drought in South East Queensland with the aim of contributing to drought mitigation planning through reviving consideration of recycled water