hey fd

i find that this is really stupid.

whats the problem they dont like the idea.

Isnt it good enough for the astronaughts.

the science is good and really just needs good controls.

I suppose when they have to buy bath water and so on it might change their minds as the human body is 99% water if that is right, i think so.

The area I live in has stage 4 water restrictions and has had those restrictions on and off for years.  If we harvested water as freedriver suggested this would make all the difference and it should be made compulsory for us all to have rainwater tanks - with a reasonable govt. subsidy.  A couple of decades ago we all had to get rid of our tanks as part of council regulations and also I suppose to boost the profits of Sydney Water.

We have bore water here - but even that will run short eventually and it's not too healthy for the environment to drain the underground water tables.  But it's happening not far from where I live with Coca Cola Amatil operating a huge spring water factory where they are now taking  66 million litres p.a. working 24 hours a day.  They pay a minimal amount for the lease and have a net profit of $660 million.

Meanwhile the residents put up with bad water quality,  harsh restrictions and high water rates while Coca Cola - which isn't even an Australian company - depletes the water tables and the livelihood of many of the locals.

Foreign multinationals always come first.

I'm in favour of recycled water but only for industrial and commercial use.

There are some factories in Brisbane that use treated sewage. They pay more for it than for tap water.

Why?

Because it is of higher quality. They need it to keep whatever processes they run clean.

Interestingly, one of the groups holding this sort of thing up is firemen. They want assurance that when they put out a factory blaze they won't be breathing in poo.

The Central Coast is going to have to go on Stage 5 water restrictions in March, because the dams are empty.  These idiots who call themselves politicians and councillors have not thought about water until it's too late.

Meanwhile Coca Cola pumps millions of litres of water from our underground springs and pays next to nothing.

They're talking about a usage of 130 litres a day - I hope per person.  This will be extremely difficult to manage - so it means 1 minute showers - no flushing of toilets and using the same grey water all day.

Until it actually hits you, many people forget how precious it is.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Recycling-will-prevent-Qld-running-dry/2007/01/29/1169919243036.html

Queensland Premier Peter Beattie says his government's controversial decision to introduce recycled drinking water will help prevent the state running dry by 2009.

Internal documents from the Queensland Water Commission, obtained by the Courier Mail, indicate the drought-stricken state may start running out of water in two years.

The Queensland government scrapped a plan to host a $10 million referendum, involving 18 councils, to gauge whether residents would accept drinking recycled water.

But drastically low water levels in the Wivenhoe-Somerset Dam system, now standing at just 23 per cent, were reason enough to mandate recycled drinking water, the premier said.

However, the Water Commission documents reveal there still will not be enough water to meet projected demand as early as 2009, even with recycled water, the Courier Mail reports.

The premier on Sunday scrapped plans for a $10 million referendum on the issue, saying record-low inflows to dams had left him with no choice but to introduce treated sewage in the drinking supply.

Mr Beattie said he respected the views of state governments such as NSW and Victoria which are opposed to recycling, but he predicted all governments eventually would have to introduce it.

"I think in the end, because of the drought, all of Australia is going to end up drinking recycled purified water," Mr Beattie told ABC Radio.

Incoming federal Environment and Water Resources Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who will be sworn in on Monday, said the states had to be open minded about recycling as a viable option.

"We support recycling. Obviously it has to be weighed up against other alternatives, but I think in Brisbane it is a very viable alternative and their water crisis is very extreme," he told the Nine Network.

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http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Water-plan-may-force-farmers-off-land/2007/01/28/1169919206442.html

Farmers could be forced off their land in areas with old and leaky irrigation systems under the federal government's $10 billion water security plan.

Incoming federal Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull confirmed that farms could be compulsorily acquired under the project to modernise irrigation channels and stop water wastage.

About 30 per cent of irrigation water is lost to evaporation, leakage and seepage before it reaches farmlands, leading the federal government to promise $3 billion to line and pipe major channels.

Mr Turnbull also called on other states to follow Queensland's lead in going ahead with recycled drinking water, saying the plan should not be ruled out just because it sounded distasteful.

Other states are reluctant to follow, with NSW and South Australia ruling out a similar move.

But Mr Turnbull said anyone living downstream of a town was probably already drinking recycled water.

"Don't rule out desalination because it's expensive or recycling because it sounds a bit yucky or building a dam because environmentalists are concerned - don't rule anything out, put everything on the table," he told reporters in drought-ravaged Griffith, in south-western NSW.

"Assess the economic, environmental, financial costs, and then make a decision. But the critical thing is to make a decision."

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http://www.smh.com.au/news/breaking-news/no-recycled-drinking-water-in-nsw-govt/2007/01/28/1169919202928.html

The NSW government has ruled out the need to follow Queensland's lead and introduce recycled drinking water for Sydney households.

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Cloud-seeding may boost SE Qld rainfall

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Cloudseeding-may-boost-SE-Qld-rainfall/2007/07/12/1183833673089.html

The Queensland government will begin cloud seeding in the state's drought-stricken south-east by the end of the year, hoping to boost rainfall by up to 30 per cent.

Water Minister Craig Wallace said the first aircraft would drop seeding material over the south-east's dams, including Somerset and Wivenhoe, from November.

The move is part of a $7.6 million four-year research project which will also investigate local weather systems and cloud microphysics.

"Some people may doubt that cloud-seeding works, but it's science fact, not science fiction," Mr Wallace told reporters.

"However, it will only work in certain circumstances and we have to see if those circumstances are right for south-east Queensland.

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Greens want cloud seeding stalled

http://www.smh.com.au/news/breaking-news/greens-want-cloud-seeding-stalled/2007/09/03/1188783152783.html

The Tasmanian Greens want Hydro Tasmania to defer extending its cloud-seeding program until a socio-economic impact study is released.

The company announced it would expand cloud-seeding outside its catchment areas in an bid to boost rain stocks around the state.

But Greens water spokesman Tim Morris said it should be delayed until the study is released by SGC Economics and Planning.

Mr Morris argued that the decision should not be taken by Hydro Tasmania alone because "there may be winners who get more water and losers who miss out".

http://www.uq.edu.au/events/event_view.php?event_id=3726

The release of level 6 water restrictions means that University staff will need to be aware of how the restrictions affect them to ensure compliance. Strict penalties will apply for non-compliance.

To address these issues and to inform University staff about water in SEQ and what UQ is doing to improve efficiency, Property and Facilities Division is holding a water forum.

Professor Paul Greenfield- Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor will introduce the forum and give an overview of water in SEQ and a Brisbane City Council representative will speak about level 6 water restrictions and current projects to reduce consumption in SEQ. Geoff Dennis, and Leigh Burgess, Property and Facilities Division, UQ, will speak about water efficiency projects and water consumption at The St Lucia campus.

Representatives from Brisbane City Council, Property and Facilities Division as well as the University Chemical Manager will be available during an open forum and discussion to answer any questions.

If you would like to attend the forum, please R.S.V.P to Leigh Burgess, Environmental Services Section, Property and Facilities Division by Monday 22nd October. Afternoon tea will be provided. l.burgess@pf.uq.edu.au or phone 57580

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Cloud seeding trial begins in SE Qld

http://news.smh.com.au/cloud-seeding-trial-begins-in-se-qld/20080124-1nxs.html

A cloud-seeding trial has begun in Queensland's drought-stricken south-east following months of delays.

Climate Change Minister Andrew McNamara said two aircraft had started flying around the region, one collecting data and the other testing the technology.

"Successful cloud-seeding won't solve south-east Queensland's water crisis on its own, but would be part of an overall package of initiatives including recycling, more efficient water use, desalination and new storage facilities," Mr McNamara said.

The project is focusing on the Wivenhoe and Somerset dams.

Cloud-seeding is a technique that adds particles such as salt and silver iodide particles to clouds to enhance condensation and droplet and ice crystal formation.