The Desalination Plant (2 Viewers)

[loquasagacious]

there has been a lot of negative response over teh desalination plant and how is costs a lot.

but what alternatives are there to respond to a drinking crisis, and which the dams are almost under 30% there has to be a solution somewhere.

Yes there is and it has even been mentioned in this thread, several times. Water recycling, that is processing effluent so that it reaches a drinkable state.

 

[Slidey]

Strangely I don't have a knee-jerk reaction to "water-recycling". When you say "recycling effluent" my reaction is a bit stronger but it's still quite lacking. If people were assured that the water would be cleaner than what we currently drink perhaps they would have no qualms about water recycling?

But then, people believe in astrology, so they might think that when they drink recycled water the sewage spirits will possess them.

 

[nit]

Well those articles make that point about the East not being deemed suitable by Carr due to it being his own electorate. I'm not sure why Port Kembla hasn't been considered more seriously. Maybe there is currently better infrastructure in the Kurnell region for desalinisation treatment.

 

[malkin86]

They reckon it'll be up and running by this time next year, so no infrastructure to speak of.

 

[spin spin sugar]

Bob Carr just keeps reminding me of a 10-year-old playing SimCity.

this is sadly very true...

i really don't understand carr's approach here, with desalination... is it really the most efficient solution to the water problem?? it can't be... but as it stands, i don't believe it should be located at kurnell.

 

[Rafy]

meh, what happened to them building the 4th runway for sydney airport at kurnell

 

[Rafy]

oh and btw

Desalination plant 'too important to debate'

Controversial plans for a desalination plant at Kurnell are "beyond public debate", NSW Planning Minister Craig Knowles said today.


so stop debating about it! By order the NSW government

 

[malkin86]

They never told the mayor of the Shire, or the people of Kurnell - probably to stifle such a debate.

 

[011]

Bob Carr just keeps reminding me of a 10-year-old playing SimCity.

Watch out fusion plants!

How about rainwater harvesting? I'm sure people wouldn't mind rainwater, just build various extremely large water tank type objects.

 

[Meldrum]

Has he also got some sort of button which triggers alien attacks and wide-spread bushfires and floods?

Perhaps he won't even need it...if we don't ratify Kyoto.

 

[withoutaface]

Are Australia's greenhouse emissions that significant?

 

[Riewe]

And also don't forget that it will definitely run billions over budget and years behind schedule.

But it would be much more smarter, and cheaper, to use recycling, which many major cities in Europe have already done. And it will definitely be fit for drinking despite what those fear-mongerors would lead you to believe, so the health part of recycled water is already addressed.

And there is also the solution of another dam. On the Shoalhaven where it is currently overflowing down there, but Carr being a hippie grennie as he is would not even have a slice of it, even though it would be the most practical solution there is.

And another point i heard recently is about diverting many of the stormwater pipes to instead of going to sea, divert them back the dams, so water reaching any part of Sydney would reach the dams.

But then again, the Carr government is all about political points and does not know solutions to problems even if it bitch-slapped them all in the face.

 

[iamsickofyear12]

I have a better solution. Fly over to Bali and buy heaps of 600ml bottles of water for 1500 rp each and then fly them back and pour them into the dams.

 

[Rafy]

You know your'll need at least 1000 bottles to serve the average sydeny household for just ONE day.

 

[iamsickofyear12]

You know your'll need at least 1000 bottles to serve the average sydeny household for just ONE day.

And.......

 

[king_of_boredom]

seawater never hurt our ancestors.

 

[Serius]

i have the solution!!!!

I WANT A WEBSITE
what i want to see is a website which has all the information on current dam levels.

like one website and it lists the major dams in an easy to look at format and it updates there current level each day

information displayed should be percentage [ easy to scan through the info] and more detailed info such as how much water is actually left, the capacity of the dam, and how much rainfall would be required to fill er up e.g 80mm rain a day for 6 months

that would be pretty cool website, i would check ito ut every now and again

THE SOLUTION

the thing is... our water system is pretty inefficient... why do we need to use pure clean water to wash our clothes? or to flush our toilets with? why cant we have 2 pipes going to everyones house, one pipe for like drinking water [ and showing water aswell if u must] and the other pipe as recyled effluent to flush our toilets with and wash our clothes with and water our gardens with and all the other crap we waste good drinking water on...
nothign wrong with having a shower in greywater

 

[Meldrum]

NECESSARY? Is it necessary for me drink me own urine? NO! But it's sterile...and I like the taste.

 

[loquasagacious]

Desalinisation is bad. Expensive, inefficient, polluting.

Recycled water is good. Free as we already clean it, efficient, non-pulluting.

Heres an outline of a basic plan:
Legislatively require rainwater tanks on all new houses and possible onsite partial cleaning of water for non-critical applications. Rebates on installations on existing dwellings.
Put a pipe between every STP and the nearest water tower/dam/water mains.
More efficient use of water eg drip irrigation.

 

[malkin86]

But it's easier for the government to plonk a desalination plant in Kurnell.