I would be happy to drink recycled waste water - I survived 25 years of the stuff in the UK. However judging by the disgusting black dust that accumulates on our outdoor furniture I can say for sure that any water that runs off our roof would not be fit for drinking. I dare say in country areas that pollution is not such a problem and the water is far cleaner. However, in urban areas surely some sort of treatment would be necessary. Although it would be fairly simple to incorporate water filtration so I can see it may work but would be quite expensive. Rainwater tanks are great for other uses however eg. garden, car washing, swimming pools, flushing toilets etc. so should be encouraged. They are still far too expensive to install as yet. I would also like to see better sytems for collecting stormwater and grey water - especially from showers and baths which is pretty clean and perfectly useable for the garden or car. Also top-loading washing machines should be banned!

We need to do every thing we can from now, even small things. I recently found a waterless car wash product from www.waterlessdirect.com.au which are very good. I just tried and it worked very well without using any water. I mean everyone can contribute in saving water.

Effective today, the state controls the use of water collected from roofs for rainwater tanks in Queensland. It is unprecedented that the state should claim rights over water which, by its own admission, it does not own.

From today, however, any person in Queensland who will not collect water from their roof for a rainwater tank can be denied permission to build a house under section 51 of the Standard Building Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2006.

More importantly, any person who uses rainwater for purposes not nominated by the state can be denied permission to build a house.

The Queensland government is unwilling to substantiate its claim to have the legal authority to amend the building regulation in this manner.

Rights to water in Queensland are established under section 19 of the Water Act 2000 which is “all rights to the use, flow and control of all water in Queensland are vested in the state”. The meaning of water does not include water collected from roofs for rainwater tanks. Based on this meaning, water collected from roofs for rainwater tanks is not owned by the state.

Under section 19 of the Act, all rights to water collected from roofs not for rainwater tanks are vested in the state. The state owns all water collected from roofs not for rainwater tanks.

The Premier, Hon Peter Beattie, was asked today if he will answer the following questions:

Is the right to collect water from roofs for rainwater tanks in Queensland vested in the building owner?

Is the right to use water collected from roofs for rainwater tanks in Queensland vested in the building owner?

Does water collected from roofs for rainwater tanks in Queensland fall within the ownership of the building owner?

Will the Queensland government substantiate its claim to have the legal authority to pass into law section 51 of the Standard Building Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2006?

Greg Cameron

Toowoomba City Council is the first Council in Australia to propose sewerage recycling. The contribution by rainwater tanks to the water supply is dismissed as impractical and unaffordable.

Rainwater tanks can immediately provide 30 per cent of Toowoomba’s water supply if installed for every building even at current record low rainfall of under 600mm a year. Rainwater tanks will provide 40 per cent of Toowoomba’s water supply with 800mm rainfall a year.

It will take two years to install rainwater tanks into every residential, commercial and industrial building in Toowoomba. The cost for an average house will be $2,500 for a 5,000 litre rainwater system consisting of between one and four tanks to ensure that all downpipes are connected. This will yield 77,000 litres of water or half of annual indoor water use.

But rainwater tanks are dismissed as an option by Toowoomba City Council. The City estimates that the cost is $5,000 per house and the yield is 25,000 litres. These estimates bear no resemblance to commercial reality or rainfall.

The low cost is achieved by large scale manufacturing and by employing teams of highly trained installers to install in 50 houses per day.

A single machine to make 1250 litre rainwater tanks costs about $8 million and makes one tank every five minutes or 70,000 a year.

1250 litre tanks are rectangular, slim and low. They fit neatly and unobtrusively beneath the eave of a house.

A machine will supply 175,000 households between Toowoomba and Brisbane over 10 years. A rainwater supply system is 1% of the cost of an average house. Including rainwater supply into the cost of a house has a neutral effect on the water bill.

Greg Cameron

The only answer to the water problem is to find the solution to the various Government ways & means to Tax the water used - or the tanks or the ground they stand upon etc - We have plenty of water - called rain - but until the Tax problem is solved we will have restrictions & be forced to accept sewerage recycling etc - So - all you enterprising Aussies - put your collective thinking caps on & find the solution - then the only issue is which branch of government will police the impost - now that will be interesting to watch develop.

Governments currently use tax revenue to subsidise the installation of rainwater tanks. By maintaining a high cost structure for rainwater tanks Governments ensure the need for subsidies. By requiring every building owner to reduce mains drinking water consumption with rainwater tanks deemed to comply, Governments will be unable to afford subsidies but people will be able to afford rainwater tanks. Whisky is for drinking, water is for fighting over (Mark Twain). Water is money but money isn't water (Greg Cameron.