Sylvia Else: << A household would use much more energy to heat water for showers than would be used to desalinate its water. >>

Ah but Sylvia - I can generate more than enough hot water for my household use with a solar system. Please tell me where I can get a solar desal unit that would do the equivalent.

Sylvia, in most rural areas, the rates of those who do not get a town water supply, have often paid a large percentage of the water infrastructure costs to supply that town water.

Where I live, my $1500 per year gets me 3 hours of mobile library, & not much else, except aggravation. However a large part of the councils borrowings, the interest payment for which comes from general revenue, are for town water. These payments come from my rates, as much as from yours.

Perhaps you don't understand. When we non urban folk do get a little town water, it costs our council nothing, other than the few pennies for the water. We have all ready paid for the infrastructure that supplies it.

A water carrier fills his truck, from a stand pipe, with no council input. They pay the council 180% of the domestic price for this water. By the time they have delivered a load, of about 8000 to 10000 litres, to someone in my area, the cost has risen to about $220. If you townies had to pay this much for water, I can imagine the scream.

As less than 45% of people in my shire are on town water, the majority of us are subsidising those who are. That you think that we should be slugged unreasonably, if we want a little use of the infrastructure we have lagrely funded, does not surprise me.I hope it does not surprise you that my impression of townies is of greedy grasping bludgers. Your post certainly does nothing to change my impression.

Ludwig
I hear you loud and clear. Just imagine the turn around we would experience if 85 to 90 % of what we waste were to be returned to the dams for re-treating and re-using.

All that is required, other than a one off infrastructure cost, is for the general public at large to get their head around the fact that we don’t need to shower in drinking water and that drinking water, especially when purchased in bulk, is cheap. Even free if one installs a rainwater tank.
Recycling is the answer, as our wastage would go from some 98% back to around 15%.
It would be nice to wash the car without fear of ‘big brother’ watching over you or your neighbour looking at you with daggers in their eyes.

To HASBEEN
As less than 45% of people in my shire are on town water, the majority of us are subsidising those who are. That you think that we should be slugged unreasonably, if we want a little use of the infrastructure we have lagrely funded, does not surprise me.I hope it does not surprise you that my impression of townies is of greedy grasping bludgers. Your post certainly does nothing to change my impression.

Dearest hasbeen
Just can’t help yourself can you. I have not yet been involved in one topic that someone like you hasn’t turned his or her post into personal attacks one another posters character.

Where do you people get off!

Furthermore, nobody, and I mean nobody holds a gun to your head and tells you where to live.

Also, if and when you visit our urban cities, costal towns or beaches, who do you recon subsidises the beatification of the parks, lakes and picnic areas that are there for all to enjoy FREE OF CHARGE.
WE DO.
So, unless you would prefer to pay a toll each time you use our facilities then get over it or move.

CJ Morgan,

I made the point about heating water just by way of illustrating the relatively small amount of energy required for desalination. Overall energy usage by a society is much greater.

rehctub

The water wouldn't be in the reservoir behind the dam in the first place if humans hadn't built a dam. It would long ago have flowed into the sea. Dams are no more natural than desalination plants.

Yes, the cost of desalinating water includes interest on capital, depreciation, maintenance, energy, manning, etc.

It doesn't include the cost of delivering it to you, but you pay that cost regardless of how the water is obtained.

Hasbeen,

I obviously don't have access to the accounts of your local council (not knowing which one it is) so I'll have to accept what you say regarding the infrastructure cost coming out of the rates. However, from what you say, your beef is with the company that transports the water anyway, not with the council. Whether the transportation charges are reasonable is hard to judge, but transportation also has capital and operating costs that have to be covered. If transporting water was hugely profitable, one would expect competitors to move in to get a piece of the action.

Sylvia my beef is with your suggestion that we should pay more than urban users, for any town water we may buy, & I explained why. I have no beef with water carters earning a living.

The main reason I saw red was your comment, & the complete lack of knowledge it displayed, of just how inequitable many of these things are. I'll give you an example.

Quite a few years ago, when Brisbane's water supply was considered secure, an "irrigation" dam was built in this area. In this user pays era, the irrigators have been paying an infrastructure charge to cover the cost of that dam, ever since. They then pay for the water they use. That's fair, so no problem there.

However, when it got a bit dry, we suddenly found that to save Brisbane water, half the water in the dam was supplied to a power station. OK, we all want power.

Then the rest of the water was reserved for urban water. Well, I suppose we can't have our neighbours in town with nothing to drink, can we? Struggling dairy farmers are going broke, as they can't grow any feed for their cows. I suppose that's OK.

What's not OK is, that in the 3 years they have not recieved a drop of water from that dam, they have still had to pay $28,000 per year in infrastructure charges, for that dam.

Not the power station, not the urban consumers, both of whom got the water, but the farmer who got none.

Perhaps you can now see the raw nerve that you touched with your suggestion that we should pay more for this same water, if we draw a bit from the town supply.

Is it OK if wre have a drink too?

Rehctub, perhaps, like me until recently, you are too busy, head down & tail up, to see just how this state workes.

I spent many wasted days at the Community Water Managememt Plan committee meetings, for our catchment, thinking I was doing something worthwhile. It took quite a while for us slow country bumpkins to realis it was just your leader, {Beattie] conning us. He just wanted our water for Brisbane, & was looking for the quietest way of doing it.

Perhaps you don't realise that my taxes have been invested in those big inner city hospitals, along with yours. Of course they are a bit easier for you to access than they are for me. No public transport out here, subsidised or otherwise. A lot of my taxes I would think, there's been stuff all spent out here.

Our state expenditure remindes me of a leaky truck. They fill these trucks with money in George street, & off they go, in all directions spilling money. A few get as far as the Gold & Sunshine Coasts, but the clapped out old ones they send anywhere else are very leaky. None can get past Ipswich, & by the looks of it, there's not much left by then. It's a pity, as most of that money came from the farming, & mining industries. They are the ones who pay for your facilities.

When it comes to use of these things, a quick look around here any weekend will show you many more urban types, out for their sunday drive, looking at the quaint yokels, than we could ever send to clutter your facilities. We don't mind, we enjoy all the pretty cars.
We won't even charge you a toll, if you promise to send lots of those vintage ones.

Try opening your eyes mate, & see the facts. After all, you cant build dams every where, & drown us all out, as you want to do to those in the way of a water grab, on the Mary.