|
November 28, 2008
The rains have come in Queensland and the Bligh Government has used the big wet to back away from both building the Traveston Dam and investing in recycled water so that recycled waste water could be pumped to Brisbane's Wivenhoe Dam. That still leaves Brisbane dependent on one source of water supply ---dams that are dependent on the rain falling in the catchment area of the dam. In backing away from making the shift to a more sustainable mode of urban life Brisbane remains vulnerable in terms of water security.
Urban Australia is still too reliant on single sources of water - mainly rain-fed dams. Australian cities can no longer rely on one source of water, whether it be dams or the River Murray as for Adelaide. Water security, especially in a warmed -up southern Australia requires a diversification of water supplies that includes recycling storm and water water since these are less-climate dependent sources of supply.
The National Water Commission says that:
Australian cities of the future will be designed water sensitively – and it is important that water recycling continue to be available as the backbone for more enlightened water sensitive urban designs.The National Water Commission therefore regards water recycling in all its forms as a vital option to re-build Australia’s water security and as an enabler for water sensitive urban design. The Commission believes it should be considered on its merits with an open mind alongside other less-climate dependant water sources such as desalination, stormwater capture and inter-basin water transfers.
The opposition to recycled water from the conservative side of politics, notably The Australian's campaign against what it calls "recycled sewerag"e, over looks the history of recycling of water for non-drinking purposes long been widely accepted across Australia, for use by industries, irrigation and households.
Moreover, recycled water has also been used for drinking purposes for zonks – with many communities in Australia drawing on water supplies --eg., the River Murray --that contain treated wastewater discharged from upstream sources.
Given the effects of global warming Australia needs to all put all water supply options on the table and invest in the development and commercialising of new water technologies including de-salination technologies. Issues of sustainability, long given lip service by politicians and decision-makers, do need to become a substantive part of the formal agenda of politics.
It is difficult to understand the entrenched opposition to making use of different water supplies in favour of relying on rain filled dams given the lack of water in parts of regional Australia, lessening river flows, water restrictions in urban Australia, and the way that storm water just runs into the sea.
|
If we weren't due for an election it would be a different story. The recent rain up here was just lucky timing for Bligh.
We'll be getting the recycled water regardless of who wins the election because the supply will dwindle again.
I don't think the Opposition's opposition has been as effective on this as the media and an insistent grassroots campaign, but I'd be interested to see what Les has to say about that.
The local media has been so relentlessly opposed to the Bligh government that ministers have stopped talking to the press. Unlike the Rudd setup, they haven't yet figured out how to get around the media to get their messages out, so there's been no education campaign to counter the 'sewerage' narrative.
It will be interesting to see how they go about conducting an election campaign in this environment. Meanwhile, we've got an expensive recycling plant sitting there doing nothing.