![Assistant Minister for Defence, Matt Thistlethwaite, at the Katherine water treatment plant. Assistant Minister for Defence, Matt Thistlethwaite, at the Katherine water treatment plant.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/181547318/02ff4b51-0619-435d-b4ee-8f411d4679a4.jpg/r0_0_1080_1917_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The Australian Government-funded Katherine water treatment plant has finally been commissioned to ensure the long-term security of the community's drinking water supply.
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The water treatment plant is part of Defence's management response to the per- and poly- fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination at RAAF Base Tindal.
The new water treatment plant can treat up to ten million litres of water per day and will replace a temporary water treatment plant Defence provided in 2017 to remove PFAS from Katherine's water supply.
Assistant Minister for Defence, Matt Thistlethwaite, said he acknowledged the community members of Katherine who "are living with the impacts of PFAS contamination from RAAF Base Tindal", and he was "delighted" to see the commissioning of the new water treatment plant.
"We are pleased to ensure continued access to clean drinking water for the people of Katherine, through the commissioning of the new water treatment," he said.
"The Australian Government is committed to helping communities affected by PFAS contamination around Defence bases."
More than $27 million were invested by the Federal Government and the Northern Territory Power and Water Corporation for the design, construction and operation of the long-term water treatment plant.
Northern Territory Minister for Essential Services Kate Worden said it had been "a long process for the residents of Katherine who have had to live with the impact of PFAS contamination in their water supply".
"The opening of the PFAS water treatment plant will hopefully remove the concerns residents have had and will give residents access to clean drinking water," she said.