Stockton residents are wary of the environmental impacts of a potential desalination plant that would draw and discharge water near their beach and have called for extensive consultation before any project proceeds.
While it is yet to commit to the plant, it has acknowledged that it is looking at options for both drought response and baseload water supply.
Construction of a large-scale plant would involve laying inlet and outlet pipes under the Hunter River and Stockton, which would then emerge off Stockton Bight.
While a full environmental impact statement for the project has not been commissioned, consultants reports highlight a potential plant could have significant environment implications including the management of brine discharge and erosion control.
"I'm not opposed to a desalination plant. I think the fact that we have that opportunity to create drinking water is a good thing, but as always, it's about what the process around it is going to be," Stockton resident Lucas Gresham said on Friday.
"The major thing that worries me is the intensity of the salt level in the water. They would have to make sure the concentration of salt is kept at a tolerable level."
The report, published in Water Research, found the $2 billion plant had a negligible effect on the offshore ecosystems during the two years it was operating.
At 100 metres from the outlet points, water salinity was barely distinguishable from the ambient conditions because of the way the brine was successfully spread in the water column.
Meanwhile Healthy Rivers Group spokesman Ken Edwards said forecast increased climate volatility required water security strategies based on flexible supply options such as desalination rather than dams.
"The future of securing a reliable water supply for the Lower Hunter does not lie in building new dams, it is in developing sustainable and climate independent sources of water such as permanent, large scale desalination and gearing our water supply/demand management around conservation, improved efficiencies, recycling, aquifer recharging and potable re-use," he said.
"Desalination will overcome the challenges ahead, being able to supply a reliable, safe and sustainable supply to our water system, whereas dams are extremely vulnerable to both present and future uncertainties, particularly the huge risk of relying on the one source of the Williams River system which presently supplies between 90 per cent to 94 per cent of our annual water consumption."
Hunter Water is also considering recycled water schemes, new dams, stormwater harvesting, groundwater and increased water conservation as part of the review.
The main advantage of desalination is its ability to provide a reliable source of water that is not dependent on rainfall.
Drawbacks include high upfront costs related to membrane treatment and power infrastructure. Ongoing operational costs are also relatively high due to high energy use. High energy use also results in greenhouse gas emissions, if sourced from fossil fuels.
Hunter Water will release in March the results of community and business feedback gained during the Lower Hunter Water Security Plan review process. A draft of the revised plan is due to be released mid-year.
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