More Federal MPs say no to drinking recycled water

Messrs Hunt and Nairn, both Federal MPs, have written a paper entitled "Debunking Myths about Recycled Water". Dated September 2005 (so it's very recent), the paper states:

"First, there is the myth that recycled water is intended for drinking. False.

No-one of whom we are aware is currently proposing that Sydney’s water be recycled for drinking purposes. As is the case in California, Adelaide, Israel and many parts of Europe, water is to be recycled for agriculture, industry, parks, gardens and environmental flows.

Indeed the standard of this recycled water is so high that, as Professor Greg Leslie of the University of NSW's Centre for Membrane Science and Technology has argued, Singaporean high tech manufacturers are using the near distilled quality water for semi-conductor manufacturing. Not surprisingly, semi-conductor manufacturing demands even higher standards of cleanliness than drinking water. [Note: I think the jury is still out on how pure this water is - as must be the Federal Government given that is still making ARC grants to Australian universities to study how pure it is!]

In Adelaide and Israel recycled water is used for agriculture. In Florida it is used for environmental flows and industry as well as agriculture. In Victoria a massive recycling project is proposed to supply pulp, paper and power production, thus leaving almost 100 billion litres of fresh water in the dams for drinking purposes while cleaning up an ocean outfall.

In considering recycling as opposed to desalination the message is two-fold. Firstly, no-one is proposing that recycled water (no matter how clean) should at this stage be included in indirect potable supplies and secondly, recycled water comes at about half the cost per-kilolitre of desalinated water and without the environmental impacts associated with high energy requirements and disposal of the highly saline by-product."

See: http://www.waterworks.net.au/images/documents/WaterMythsSepto5.doc

The Hon Greg Hunt MP is Federal Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment and the Hon Gary Nairn MP is the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister with responsibility for the National Water Initiative.

Interesting comments in view of the Toowoomba proposal.