Katherine's PFAS water treatment plant will soon be in action. 

A giant, a multi-million-dollar facility shipped from America will soon turn potentially toxic drinking water into a clean supply for the Northern Territory. 

The treatment plant was delayed by a 24-month design process combined with COVID-19 and supply issues.

It will be able to process 15 megalitres of water every day, which uses a maximum of 12 megalitres in the height of the dry season.

Water is pulled up from groundwater and processed through pressure vessels, where a microplastics resin media captures the PFAS and removes it from the water. The toxic contaminants are then flushed out and disposed of in an evaporation pond.

In recent years, the NT town of Katherine’s water was found to be contaminated by a group of chemicals known as PFAS, which have been linked to cancers and other serious health concerns.

PFAS leached into the Katherine River and spread kilometres through the highly connected aquifer below after decades of use in firefighting training at the Tindal RAAF Base. 

Senior project manager at Power and Water Corporation, Liam Early, says the new facility will deliver “very high-quality water”. 

Experts and authorities say it is the first of many needed across Australia.

“PFAS is a problem around Australia in a multitude of places,” Mr Early said.

“Until the PFAS issue is addressed, there will need to be a plant of some nature to remove the PFAS if it's deemed to be above acceptable levels.”

Given that Australia has a high reliance on groundwater, which is projected to rise in coming years, treatment plants may offer the only good solutions.