I came across an interesting newspaper article this morning from the City of Ballarat in Victoria.
‘The Committee for Ballarat’, which I understand to be comprised of local community and businesses leaders is keen to investigate indirect potable water recycling (IPR) as part of a solution for the city’s water shortages.
The problem is that the Victorian Government has made a political decision not to support (planned) IPR schemes in that State. Instead, they have favoured alternative solutions for Melbourne such as the construction of Australia’s largest seawater desalination plant and a pipeline to transport water long distances from rural areas in the Goulburn Valley to the city.
I’ll be interested to follow where this story goes...
Treated water: to drink or not?
The Courier
18 October 2008
THE Committee for Ballarat will be leading a push towards recycled water for the city.
The committee's Water Task Team chair Tony Chew said yesterday that recycled water could provide a long-term solution to Ballarat's water woes and discussions were needed to avert a possible crisis in the future.
He said cities such as London, Singapore and Los Angeles had all embraced recycled water and Brisbane was also scheduled to start introducing waste water to their supply next year.
"We just want Ballarat to have a sustainable supply and we think recycled water is an important component of that supply plan. And at the moment the State Government is not entertaining recycled water for Victoria and we want to open that debate," Mr Chew said.
He said Ballarat could still run dry, particularly if low rainfall levels continued in the Goulburn Catchment area which supplies the Goldfields superpipe.
"It's too late to put the infrastructure in once we're down to that critical situation," he said.
The committee plans to approach the water minister and also the premier to get the issue of recycled water back on the table.
"We will bring with us a large body of community and industry representatives, people who are concerned as I am about the long-term sustainability of this city," Mr Chew said.
"We want to get all the debates happening and hopefully get the government and community on side to accept that recycled water is a viable solution."
Recycled water has been a contentious issue across Australia, most notably in drought-stricken Toowoomba where residents voted against drinking recycled waste water in July last year.
Mr Chew said many people considered recycled water as "drinking raw sewerage", but the reality "couldn't be further from the truth".
"Where we can we will introduce factual information into this debate," he said.
Central Highlands Water chair John Barnes said although the State Government had ruled out drinking recycled water he believed there was still a case for cities such as Ballarat "sitting at the top of the catchment".
"We welcome the committee of Ballarat opening this public debate," he said.
"(But) any debate needs to be discussed in a dispassionate and balanced way."
Ballarat Mayor Stephen Jones said the idea of drinking recycled water made him "squirm a bit", but it was definitely an option.
"They do it everywhere else around the world. Why can't we do it here?" he said.
Cr Jones said the Goldfields superpipe only provided Ballarat with a short-term solution.
- Stuart Khan
- Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- I am a water researcher in an Environmental Engineering Department. Topics on which I work include: • Analysis of trace chemical contaminants in aquatic environments • Analytical method development (gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, etc) • Environmental and public health risk assessment of chemicals in the environment • Environmental chemical modelling techniques • Evaluation of water and wastewater treatment processes in terms of chemical fate • Water recycling practices in Australia and internationally • Guidelines for the management of chemicals in water.
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Here's a follow-up article from the same source the follwing day...
An idea that should not be pooh-poohed
The Courier
19/10/2008
In rapid time the superpipe provided this city with a supplementary water source. Without it, the water situation in Ballarat would have been utterly desperate over summer. Even with the superpipe residents will still need to continue with the frugal water ways.
But the superpipe represents part of a solution to our water supply issues. It should be possible to build up a suite of water supply alternatives which could include reclaiming water for indirect potable use. We are already heading towards using reclaimed water on sports grounds and to help fill Lake Wendouree.
Another option as yet unexplored is the capture of stormwater running off the city's roads.
And of course there are private household measures such as the installation of rainwater tanks, an option pursued by many residents already.
Adding reclaimed water to drinking water supplies has been an unpopular suggestion in some areas.
Toowoomba, faced with water shortages, put a decision on drinking treated sewage to the people in a referendum. Before votes were cast a frenzy of antagonism towards the idea was whipped up and from the anti-reclaimed water campaign came the pejorative, Poowoomba.
Shortly after that, then Queensland Premier Peter Beatty, noting the result in Toowoomba, promptly said Brisbane would need to have reclaimed water added to potable supplies. No vote was put.
These are desperate times but introducing treated sewage to domestic water supplies is not a desperate measure. It's a process that has been occurring in many cities around the world for some time.
Londoners drawing from the Thames River are drinking water that has been extracted and returned by several cities upstream.
Singapore returns treated water to its supplies.
But it is not necessary to look that far afield for examples. It happens along the Murray River.
People north of the divide would doubtless be grateful if Ballarat residents were able to reuse the water diverted from the Goulburn catchment, rather than simply drawing more water from the stressed Murray-Darling Basin.
It is definitely an option worthy of serious debate.
I WILL NOT DRINK YOUR TREATED SEWERAGE WATER. I WILL PLUMB MY WATER TANKS TO THE HOUSE USING THE APPROPRIATE FILTERS AND FITTINGS. I WILL FLUSH YOUR RECYCLED WATER DOWN THE TOILET WHERE IT BELONGS. I BELIEVE THE BUILDING OF THE SUGARLOAF PIPELINE IS A CRIMINAL ACT- AND SHOULD BE STOPPED. MOST VICTORIAN RIVERS ARE UNDER SEVERE STRESS THROUGH DROUGHT. THE MOORABOOL IS A GOOD EXAMPLE. EVERY HOUSE IN VICTORIA SHOULD HAVE A 1000-5000 LT. WATER TANK INSTALLED WITH REASONABLE REBATES PROVIDED BY GOVERNMENT.
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