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The Forum > Article Comments > Water … a failure by successive governments > Comments

Water … a failure by successive governments : Comments

By Selwyn Johnston, published 9/2/2007

The sorry history of multinationals controlling drinking water around the world is well established so why is Queensland out-sourcing water management?

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Rainwater in southeast Queensland costs the average homeowner $1.45/KL. This is based on Brisbane receiving 80% (917MM) of its mean annual rainfall for the next 30 years, which will provide an average separate house with rainwater yield of at least 65KL/year (assuming 175 square metre roof area).

The government can require all building owners to detain rainwater before it may be discharged into the stormwater system. This gives a person the incentive to use rainwater in replacement of mains drinking water, and to discharge only tank overflow it into the stormwater system.

Such a mandatory detention requirement can apply at point of sale of all property. The average turnover rate of housing is seven years and there are 700,000 houses in southeast Queensland, providing steady demand to warrant significant investment in production facilities and installation services for rainwater tanks.

The cost of rainwater compares with desalinated seawater at $1.15/KL - $3.00/KL and indirect potable re-use (sewage recycling) $1.68/KL - $2.61/KL.
Source: Marsden Jacob http://www.marsdenjacob.com.au/Documents/MJA_2006_ResearchNotesSecuringAustraliasUrbanWaterSupplies.pdf table 1.

Greg Cameron
Posted by GC, Friday, 9 February 2007 10:09:51 AM
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Recently the ABC televised a National Press Club address by a prominent american environmentalist from Montana. When she was asked for opinions on the Murray Darling water management she remarked that americans had experience of the water basins being managed by companies with boards of directors outside the water basins. These management authorities had taken decisions that adversely affected people living in the water catchments and the locals had subsequently wrestled back control of their water. She said that responsibilty for managing water resources should rest with the people who lived in the catchment whose children and grandchildren would have to live with the consequences of the decisions made.

Like the author I am very suspicious of attempts to privatise the water and note that the Water Minister still has to face court in relation to HIH because of his role as a director of Goldman Sachs. (AFR 9/2/2007)

I thought the Water Minister sounded repetitious and very lame on his interview with Kerry O'Brien last night.
Posted by billie, Friday, 9 February 2007 10:37:02 AM
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Yet another essential piece of infrastructure sold out by our wonderful liberalists. In this case, the champions of privatisation; the ALP.

I don't mind the foreign company building the system but to own it is absurd and nothing short of treason. Infrastructure, essential services etc should be at the hands of the locals through state ownership. Allow local boards be set up by the surrounding communities.

It is not financially wise to save water for everytime a community gets together cutting their water usage, they end up paying big time with out of control bills. Watch this space people for outpricing water is the quickest way of culling the human race.
Posted by Spider, Friday, 9 February 2007 5:04:52 PM
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It is interesting to see the comparative estimated costs of water collected from roof runoff against that for desalinated water, in Greg Cameron's post above. If proposing expansion of urban on-site rainwater detention (together with other demand management techniques: see OLO article http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=5421) as a component of water supply security is currently valid, then it must be at least as valid to also focus upon desalination as part of the attainment of such urban and domestic water supply security.

A distinguishing feature of the provision of desalinated seawater is that it is IN ADDITION to that which otherwise may be available from stored rainfall or groundwater, including any recycled derivatives thereof. There is total reliability of supply of seawater, even under prolonged drought conditions.

One would think that with such a concentration of the urban reticulated water demand so close to the sea almost everywhere in Australia, desalination of seawater would be a very attractive challenge for water supply authorities.

Instead we see a roadblock thrown up. Desalination is energy demanding! Desalination will result in more GHG emissions! Desalination will pollute the sea with salt! No desalination! And just look at who's saying it! Amongst others, the Queensland Premier! And look at who effectively agrees with him: the Prime Minister and patron of the federal Minister for Water (and Constitutional Change)!

What a colossal failure of imagination! There is probably no more ideal opportunity for the application of permanently freely available non-pollutant energies than there is in the pumping ashore and reduced-pressure distillation of seawater. Large scale temperature inversion solar pondage using concentrated brine to collect solar energy, developed in conjunction with wave power pumping, is of immediate relevance in cost-effective desalination by the reduced-pressure distillation pathway.

Could it be that the real objection to desalination is that it offers a viable 'nursery' for the development of an essentially low-tech, non-pollutant, and above all NON-PROPRIETARY pathway for attainment of urban (and indeed, non-urban) water supply security for much of Australia?
Posted by Forrest Gumpp, Sunday, 11 February 2007 6:33:11 AM
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The privatization of the water catchments and pipe lines are the latest attempts by government and big business to end any concept of a universal right to water and sanitation and to turn water into a commodity to exploit. Behind the backs of the public, there is much talk of the windfall profits through levering large charges this criminality will eventually bring in.
A conversation in the corridors of power might precede thus, “Water turned into gold with a captive market and monopoly.” “But wait, here is the rub, the public pays for the dam probably a few times over, and then we give it to our mates and the public can still continue paying taxes for a dam they do not own plus high water charges.”

The water infrastructure will see the governments hive off the most profitable parts to their well heeled cronies. As in most other dams that have been privatized there were immediate staff sackings and cost cutting particularly in water sample testing with disastrous consequences. What most do not see is the process that is taking place, and that is to lower and debase every aspect of life including rights, equality, poverty and life itself. Privatization is the accelerant for this process to take place!
Posted by johncee1945, Sunday, 11 February 2007 7:58:43 PM
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One word to describe the liberalist politicians; Treasonous.
Posted by Spider, Monday, 12 February 2007 12:05:26 PM
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