Council sued for secretly promoting recycled sewage project ...

Interesting article on the steps some Councils allegedly take to hide the facts from the public:

A taxpayers group has sued the city of San Diego, claiming that city staffers are secretly promoting a controversial plan that would convert wastewater into drinking water.

The city shelved a similar idea six years ago, after much public outcry.

Mark Mazzarella, a lawyer for the Association of Concerned Taxpayers, accused the city of running a "stealth program" to move the concept forward again despite potential health and cost concerns.

"We think they should stop until other alternatives are explored," Mazzarella said at a news conference outside City Hall, near a gushing fountain.

The city said the claims don't have merit.

"You'd be hard-pressed to find a more open process," Marsi Steirer, deputy director of the city's Water Department, said of San Diego's effort to find a way to recycle water.

The idea to convert city wastewater into drinking water is steeped in controversy. Some fear the water will be tainted and cause health problems, and that only poor people will be stuck drinking it. Rich people can buy bottled water, they say.

Proponents say the water is perfectly safe and that the process has improved since 1999, when the idea was proposed.

In a nutshell, the concept works this way: Wastewater is cleansed of contaminants and then piped to a reservoir, where it's mixed with river water. Before being sent to homes, the water is treated again.

Opponents call it "toilet to tap." Or "Frankenwater." City officials call it "reservoir augmentation."

Orange County is one of the few areas that repurifies wastewater. However, critics contend, San Diego's effort would be far broader than its neighbor's.

When the City Council killed the initial proposal in 1999, it ordered that no more work be done on the project.

The lawsuit contends that the city has broken that council order and is promoting the concept behind the scenes. Libertarian Steven Currie is listed as a plaintiff, along with the taxpayers group.

"It was time to blow the whistle," said Bruce Henderson, who has attacked many city initiatives, including the downtown ballpark.

Henderson said he is acting as a spokesman for the Association of Concerned Taxpayers and is not personally involved in the suit.

Henderson also attacked the 1999 plan.

He claims that the city has not adequately considered other options – including conservation – and is setting the stage so only this particular option will be feasible.

The city has done nothing inappropriate, Steirer contends. In 2004, the City Council reopened the issue and asked that all recycling efforts, including blending treated water with reservoir water, be studied.

The city is under federal pressure to improve water use. It dumps 175 million gallons of partially-cleansed wastewater into the ocean daily, instead of finding ways to put it to use.

"If this is a stealth campaign, it's the worst one I've ever seen," said Bruce Reznik of San Diego Coastkeeper, an environmental group that supports repurification.

The city's efforts to find a way to recycle water have been the subject of several newspaper stories and public forums, he noted.

The controversy is picking up steam because an advisory panel of San Diegans recently said it supported the purification system that would turn wastewater into drinking water.

Its recommendation will soon go to the City Council's Natural Resources Committee.

See - Group alleges order by council ignored.

Prozac found in drinking water ...

Traces of the antidepressant Prozac can be found in UK drinking water.

The BBC reports that:

An Environment Agency report suggests so many people are taking the drug nowadays it is building up in rivers and groundwater.

A report in Sunday's Observer says the government's environment watchdog has discussed the impact for human health.

A spokesman for the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) said the Prozac found was most likely highly diluted.

The newspaper says environmentalists are calling for an urgent investigation into the evidence.

It quotes the Liberal Democrats' environment spokesman, Norman Baker MP, as saying the picture emerging looked like "a case of hidden mass medication upon the unsuspecting public".

He says: "It is alarming that there is no monitoring of levels of Prozac and other pharmacy residues in our drinking water."

Experts say the anti-depression drug gets into the rivers and water system via treated sewage water.

See - Prozac found in drinking water.

$3 million for the recycled sewage visitors centre (update) ...

Something the Council has hidden from Toowoomba's ratepayers.

The visitors centre for the proposed recycled sewage plant (a glorified showcase for the recycled sewage companies to show off their wares to other potential buyers) is estimated to cost the taxpayers $3 million.

This information is contained in the NWC application - the Council has not voluntarily told Toowoomba ratepayers about this.

Why is it needed?

Update - the visitor centre at the NEWater facility in Singapore cost S$5 million (around A$4.1 million). The proposed Toowoomba visitor centre is modelled on Singapore's example and will cost a similar amount. Singapore's includes:

- NEWater cascading down the sides of two glass walls

- An auditorium and six interactive multimedia stations

- Videos and computer games.

See - Singapore NEWater facility.

Recycled sewage cascading down walls?

Video and computer games?

Click here to view images of the NEWater visitors centre.

Is this really necessary?

Master body to control water ...

The Courier Mail reports that:

A POWERFUL new management authority is set to take over responsibility for water policy and planning in Queensland's drought-hit southeast.

The region's mayors have agreed to give up some of their powers over water management to the authority in return for the right to on-sell any water they do not use as part of a radical new allocation system for the precious resource.

Some councils may even cede control of their water treatment plants to new resource management bodies under the new system, although responsibility for wastewater treatment is expected to remain with local government.

The new authority will oversee the creation of a water services "grid" for the southeast, ensuring a more reliable water supply for a region expected to absorb a million new residents over the next 15 years.

In another development, an interim report into the region's future water supply strategy reveals that the Government will consider raising the Wivenhoe Dam and extending desalination projects beyond the Gold Coast as a means of increasing the amount of water available to the region.

The plans are included in the Government's South-east Queensland Water Supply Strategy, due to be finalised next year.

It is understood the State Government is pushing councils to agree to the new system as soon as possible as its measures to improve management of the region's water assets grow more urgent.

Negotiations between the Government and the region's peak local leaders' lobby, the Council of Mayors, have grown increasingly tense over recent months. Some councils complained that the Government saw the change as a chance to acquire key water assets.

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman, who chairs the Council of Mayors, has insisted that local government would resist the changes if they they were seen as a mere "asset grab".

However, most mayors within the region have agreed on the need for a new water management structure to replace the current system where 10 separate bodies have control over the region's dams and water treatment facilities.

Some are even prepared to dispose of some of their water assets. Cr Newman has floated the possibility of Brisbane City Council selling Lake Manchester Dam before it is forced to spend millions of dollars on repairing the facility.

The Council of Mayors has told Premier Peter Beattie that any improvement in institutional arrangements should have some essential elements including:

• The establishment of a water planning authority with statutory powers under the Water Act.

• The setting-up of regional resource managers with responsibility for dams, pipelines and any new water sources from processes such as desalination.

• The capacity for individual councils to treat their allocation of water under the new system as a tradeable asset, meaning they could on-sell any water they did not use under their allocation.

The Government is understood to be still considering what form the new management authority will take but has already foreshadowed the need for change.

The Queensland Water Plan, released by Mr Beattie in August, states that a "major impediment to investment in water infrastructure results from having several existing schemes operated by different water service providers".

"Rivers do not follow local government boundaries and institutional reform is necessary to assist investment and operation of supply infrastructure," the plan states.

See - Master body to control water.

WA to investigate things Toowoomba City Council already knows ...

From WA Business News:

Curtin University of Technology has won a grant of almost $1 million over three years to investigate the treatment of wastewater for indirect re-use, as part of the efforts to address the decline in Perth's drinking water supplies.

The project, led by the WA Health Department, forms part of the Premier's Collaborative Research Program, which will investigate the effectiveness of microfiltration and reverse osmosis to treat wastewater prior to indirect reuse.

Recently launched by WA Premier Dr Geoff Gallop, the program will compliment another major research endeavour, the Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) project, run by the CSIRO and Water Corporation of WA. Curtin is a minor participant in the MAR project which will assess if treated wastewater can be safely added to local aquifers that supply Perth's drinking water.

See - Curtin wins $1m grant into waste water research.

But the Toowoomba City Council says it already knows all the answers.

Why the need for more research?

Attitudes to using recycled water ...

The ABC reports that the results of a survey presented at the annual Australian Society of Sociologists conference in Tasmania show the level of acceptance depends on the level of personal contact with the recycled water.

"The early results of the survey have been presented to sociologists gathered in Hobart for their annual national conference and show that acceptance of recycled water depends mainly on where it has come from and what it will be used for. While almost all of those surveyed were happy for the water to be used on golf courses, parks and gardens, only two thirds were happy for vegetables and fruit to be irrigated with it. Dr June Marks says levels of acceptance seem to depend on personal contact with the water."

See - Attitudes to using recycled water.

SE Qld water usage drops ...

From ABC News:

The Queensland Government says water restrictions are clearly working, with daily consumption in the state's south-east down by 20 per cent.

The latest figures from SEQ Water show the region has saved the equivalent of almost 40,000 Olympic-sized pools over the past six months.

But the Primary Industries Minister Henry Palaszczuk says there is no room for complacency, with much of the state still gripped by drought.

"Our dam levels are still at 34 per cent ," he said.

"Whilst rain has fallen and we've had quite severe thunderstorms throughout south-east Queensland, the rain has not fallen where we need it to fall."

See - SE Qld water usage drops.

Sounds like it's still time to come up with some sensible suggestions on how to resolve the water crisis, rather than the quick and dirty reviews to date of Toowoomba's water options ...

Poll warning for Labor in states ...

At a time when Qld Labor will need all the votes and seats it can muster to retain power, it will be interesting to see how they deal with the Toowoomba recycled sewage issue.

Publicly, Premier Beattie has said that he doesn't want the residents of South East Qld to drink recycled water, preferring to use it for industry and free up drinking water for drinking. (See - Qld Govt hatches plan to free up drinking water.)

However, the actions of Natural Resources Minister Henry Palaszczuk and the comments in Toowoomba City Council's NWC application seem to indicate that Premier Beattie and the Qld Government want to try out recycled sewage on Toowoomba's residents before introducing it in other areas.

A new poll shows it will be difficult for Labor to retain power in Qld (too many scandals perhaps). The poll shows a sharp voter backlash in the lead up to elections in Qld due in 2007.

See - Poll warning for Labor in states.

Labor MP Kerry Shine faces a tough battle with Councillor Shelton who will contest the seat of Toowoomba North at the next election. Councillor Shelton has raised his concerns about the proposed recycled sewage project. Mr Shine has remained very quiet on the issue. Unable to contradict his bosses perhaps?

Farms to get water use sustainability funds ...

From ABC News:

South-east Queensland farms are being offered help to improve the sustainability of their water use.

Almost $300,000 will be given to feedlot, pig, chicken-meat and dairy farmers under the Commonwealth's National Landcare Program.

It is one of several projects in the state to gain funding under the federal scheme.

Bronwyn Fisher from the Queensland Dairyfarmers Organisation says the initiative will help farmers 'do their bit' while drought conditions continue.

"It's about managing their water, and particularly their waste water, better, so just like in town where particularly in Brisbane at the moment where there's incentives available to help I guess re-use water and install tanks and things like that," she said.

See - Farms to get water use sustainability funds.

NWC Commissioner - we don't need to go as far as drinking recycled sewage ...

NWC Commissioner Dr John Radcliffe made the following comments earlier in 2005 regarding the use of recycled sewage for drinking:

"The bottom line is that quality control of recycled water is crucial. There must be no risk of threats to human health. It is technically possible to safely recycle water back to the drinking water supply. Singapore already does it. But there are plenty of other things we can do before we need to go that far."

See - Recycling can help save precious drinking water.

While a number of people would disagree that the issue of the safety of recycled sewage has been proven beyond doubt, it is interesting that a NWC Commissioner is saying that there are plenty of alternatives before needing to go as far as drinking recycled sewage.

Perhaps he could tell Mayor Thorley ...

Freedom of Information request forces Council to disclose NWC application ...

It's what the Toowoomba City Council did not want the public to see - the Council's application for funding to the National Water Commission.

One thing that is clear from the application is that the Mayor wishes to use Toowoomba's residents as Australia's lab rats.

Section 9.0 (Program Justification) should be renamed: "Justification for Toowoomba residents being Australia's lab rats" because that's exactly what it says.

In effect, it says: "Give us funding so we can experiment on the people of Toowoomba and if everything works out you can do it elsewhere."

After months of Mayor Thorley claiming she wasn't using Toowoomba residents as guinea pigs, the truth has been exposed.

I like the veiled threat at the end - in effect "give us funding or we will screw the Toowoomba ratepayers for the money (and they'll hate the Federal government for it)".

No wonder the Council didn't disclose this document before the FOI request forced its disclosure.

You certainly couldn't find it on the Toowoomba Water Futures website.

For further details on the NWC application, see the Water Futures blog - http://waterfutures.blogspot.com/

CH2M Hill - back in the news (update) ...

Update:

Idaho Transportation Department Board members on Wednesday rescinded a contract to manage Gov. Dirk Kempthorne's proposed $1.6 billion highway program, conceding they made mistakes during an Oct. 27 meeting when they gave a Boise-based engineering company the award after praising its local political ties.

Instead of Washington Group International getting the contract, the board opted to reconsider just who will oversee "Connecting Idaho."

The decision could come at a public meeting planned for Jan. 6.

At that meeting, board members will hear competing proposals from Washington Group and its Denver-based partner, CH2M Hill, as well as the team of New York-based Parsons Brinckerhoff and HDR Engineering, of Omaha, Neb. Parsons Brinckerhoff lost out in the original decision.

See - Idaho highway board rescinds contract with WGI; bid still up for grabs.

See:

Idaho transportation board sued by company that lost highway contract ...

The Idaho Transportation Department has been sued by a New York-based construction company over a controversial highway contract worth at least $15 million. Parsons Brinckerhoff alleges Washington Group International's and CH2M Hill's close political ties to Idaho got them the contract to manage "Connecting Idaho," Governor Dirk Kempthorne's $1.2 billion road-building proposal.

KTVB article

L.A. Department of Water and Power Commissioner Nick Patsaouras has a nickname for Ch2M Hill ...

According to DWP workers, independent subcontractors and even local air-quality regulators in the Owens Valley, the words “quality” and “productivity” contrast sharply with a project they say is plagued by careless design, shoddy workmanship and runaway costs — and which has both the DWP board and City Council calling for an audit.

LA Weekly article

Idaho road project contract on hold after feds question contract award ...

Federal officials have asked the state transportation board to reconsider its decision to give the contract to oversee the $1.2 billion "Connecting Idaho" project to Washington Group International, from Boise, and Denver-based CH2M Hill Incorporated.

KTVB article

Lawmakers must demand answers on road projects ...

Lawmakers need to know why the board picked WGI and CH2M Hill. They need to know why the board went against committee recommendations. They need to know whether political pressure affected the outcome; Mike Journee, a spokesman for Gov. Dirk Kempthorne, said the governor's office did not influence the board.

News Sentinel article

Safewater Coalition comments applicable to Toowoomba ...

From the Safewater Coalition in California (who, in 2004, negotiated a solution to the use of recycled water in Redwood City California):

Prior to the city of Redwood City forcing a mandate on its citizens, I believed in the concept of recycled water as conceptualized for irrigation.

Throughout the entire information campaign effort, we were told there would be no downside (i.e. no risks, no tax increases, no long-term damage.)

But, we hardly doubted that there would be no risks, short or long term so we sought second opinions from experts and they told us otherwise.

More importantly, the experts we sought had nothing to gain financially from a cost benefit analysis. They were not developers, they were not consultants, and they did not have “hidden” agendas or belonged to related advocacy groups.

By promoting recycled water projects at this juncture, proponents do so without acknowledging the lack of strong government oversight, lack of assumption of long-term liabilities by promoters, inadequate commitment to health research, and approval of the re-introduction of known and unknown contaminants into our environment.

In effect, proponents are asking our fellow citizens to take undue involuntary risks, albeit calculated.

We frequently hear that all these communities use treated wastewater and it’s safe. Great, most are in industrial or commercial usage. No worries. You’re protected. But in our case, we were going to go straight to the residential areas. Fine, then shouldn’t promoters shoulder the burden of proof to prove safety beyond a reasonable doubt?

See - Safewater Coalition.

Interestingly, Mayor Thorley complains that no-one has shown her that recycled water is not safe.

Notwithstanding that she has been shown examples of the concerns raised regarding the use of recycled water for drinking, why is it that the residents of Toowoomba must prove that a proposal by the Council is not safe.

Is it not the responsibility of the Council to show that any project they propose to adopt - whether it is recycled water or kids swings in parks - is safe for Toowoomba's residents?

Do they achieve this by misleading Toowoomba residents - using promotional material which is false and misleading? A website that only promotes their case?

Singapore opens first desalination plant to cut dependence on Malaysia ...

Toowoomba City Council often talks about the NeWater project in Singapore. What they conveniently neglect to tell people is that Singapore has recently opened the largest desalination plant in Asia. A number of people are stunned to learn this, given how much the Council relies on Singapore as the shining example of water recycling.

September 13, 2005

SINGAPORE opened its first seawater purifying plant Tuesday, Sept 13, in another major step towards reducing dependence on imported water from Malaysia.

The S$200 million (US$119.76 million) facility in the suburb of Tuas just across a narrow strait from Malaysia's southern Johor state will produce 30 million gallons (114 million litres) of potable water a day, or 10 percent of the city-state's current daily consumption.

The desalination plant was built by a wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore water treatment specialist Hyflux.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who formally opened the project late Tuesday, described the facility as the largest of its kind in the world to use "reverse osmosis" technology to rid seawater of salt and other impurities.

"For Singapore, an island in the sea, desalination is a natural solution. Desalination provides a steady source of water, unaffected by variations in rainfall," Lee said.

He added that for Singapore, water "will always be a strategic resource, and not just an economic commodity".

The government will invest another S$1.5 billion in water-related projects over the next two years after spending $4.5 billion in the last four years, he said.

Singapore's daily water consumption of around 1.14 billion litres is expected to grow by a third in 10 years.

The country is under pressure to increase self-sufficiency as one water supply agreement with Malaysia will expire in 2011 and another in 2061.

Singapore has drawn up a plan to source supplies from four "national taps," namely imports, reservoirs, recycling waste water flushed from toilets and sinks, and desalination to meet its long-term water needs.

The wealthy island-nation's continued reliance on piped raw water from Malaysia since it was evicted from the Malayan Federation in 1965 is seen as a key vulnerability.

See - Singapore opens desalination plant.

Toowoomba Water Futures website misleads once again ...

The Council has added some interesting comments to the Toowoomba Water Futures website.

They have copied some of the emails from an archived circulation list maintained on the Department of Natural Resources and Mines website.

See - Excerpts from experts.

Naturally, they have been very selective in the emails they have chosen to list.

If the Council had been less selective, some of the comments they could have included are:

- I do accept that there are many issues regarding trace chemicals that we don't fully understand and that we will certainly discover new significant deleterious environmental effects of some chemicals in the future.

- I must agree that we really don't know enough about endocrine disruptors to make informed statements on the true effects they have.

- We are constantly told that there have been no illnesses traced to the use of recycled water for irrigation in California. What we are not told is that there have been no epidemiological based studies on illness and the use of recycled water for irrigation. Recycled water is a necessary component of the water equation in California and other areas of the world, but much of the science concerning risk and use simply has not been done. The regulations for treatment and use in California are based on virus studies completed in the late 1970s. I strongly believe in the precautionary principle and the necessity of doing the science - by third parties with no vested interest in recycled water such as the university systems. Until that is done and the studies say that recycled water is no different than potable water, recycled water can not be used by the end users in the same manner that potable water is used simply because of the unknowns.

- It is, of course, not directly related to drinking treated sewage but it does show that chemical residuals are present in effluent even after tertiary treatment, and that we are not aware of them because we don't normally test for them.

- Singapore opened Asia's largest water desalination plant in Tuason Tuesday.

- I congratulate the Redwood City Recycled Water task force for finding a solution that keeps recycled sewer water away from schoolyards and playgrounds.

- It is time to face the fact that unplanned indirect reuse occurs and start to document it and determine if problems do exist. The "experts" says that unplanned reuse causes no harm but this is anecdotal. I have never seen a report that investigated this issue. Probably, the cost of undertaking an epidemiological study is prohibitive. On the other hand many reports have outlined the environmental harm that occurs downstream from sewage discharge.

- I strongly believe that the present reasons for undertaking indirect drinking water reuse are lazy arguments. I believe we should strive with vision and imagination to make the best use of our natural resources and to reduce the amount of waste we discharge back to the environment. I support effects to make continual improvement to our environment. I am not sure if returning even highly treated sewage back to the environment is an improvement.

- We know that: Sewage contains nutrients that cause downstream water quality issues. Reverse osmosis does not remove nitrate and has limited removal of orthophosphate; Sewage contains many anthropogenic substances at low levels, that, through various toxic end-points, are causing harm to the creatures living in the water. The treatment to remove these substances is difficult. In addition, anecdotal evidence suggests as our life expectancy increases, we become more likely to experience a chronic life threatening disease caused by some anthropogenic substance we have come in contact with during our lifetime.

- One reason I have not commented much on the reuse of treated sewerage is a lack of data on what exactly is contained within treated sewerage.

- Data can be obtained from sewerage works on contamination that is controlled i.e. rates of fecal coliforms, Biological oxygen demand and a few other major pollutant worries. The point here is that we know in those narrow fields what the water does not contain. What does it contain?

- Data is not available on what other pollutants are in the water released as 'treated' by sewerage works across the country. Where are the scientists who can tell us exactly what this water does contain. Are there traces of medications, human and agricultural? traces of industrial chemicals? traces of the myriad of sublimated chemicals from manufactured goods, detergents, paints? cosmetics? Surely your sewerage treatment outlets are the first place we should be looking to comprehensively analyse our waste water to gain data that we can use to help decide whether reuse of sewerage treatment outflows for any given situation is appropriate or prudent.

- On the public end, there are three possibilities: opposition, neutrality (complacence/apathy) and support. There will of course always be a range of opinions and the middle group of folks will most likely always be the largest. The trick is to get the positive folks to be (or appear to the politicians to be) a more vocal majority than those opposed. It seems to be that it tends to be a rare politician that will stand up and champion a potentially risky cause, but if that can be found there is great potential.

All comments made by other forum "experts".

At the risk of the email forum participants becoming very circumspect in their future comments, here is the link so you can read all the emails:

DNR Water Recycling Mailing List Archive.

Sydney - more on the desalination v. recycling debate ...

Comments from the Sydney Morning Herald:

"This is not a taste-test debate," said Patricia Harvey, an alliance member and chairwoman of the Sydney Coastal Councils Group.

"Recycled water for use by industry and agriculture in Sydney could significantly reduce demand for drinking water and stretch the city's supply way beyond the next two years."

"This would prolong Sydney's drinking water supply and allow more time to reap the benefits of water saving measures, of harvesting stormwater and other waste water."

"It is clear that the majority of Sydney wants the Government to get real on recycling."

The Government yesterday defended its strategy, which includes a range of measures, such as tapping water from the bottom of Sydney's dams, pumping water from the Shoalhaven and increasing the amount of recycled water for non-drinking purposes to 70 billion litres - or close to 14 per cent of present water use - by 2011.

"We would point out that we aim to have a diverse and well-balanced plan to solve our water needs, and desalination is part of that, but so is recycling," said a spokesman for the Minister for Utilities, Carl Scully. "Our reckoning for desalination is it is the one source of water not dependent on rain."

See - City desalination plant is not the solution - poll.

Coal reserves to provide water to Qld towns ...

From ABC News:

Towns in southern Queensland will soon be able to use millions of litres of treated water, left over when natural gas is extracted from underground coal reserves.

The Chinchilla shire will have access to 1,000 megalitres of water each year, for the next 30 years, from 25 gas wells establish by Queensland Gas Company.

Managing director Richard Cottee says the region is full of coal reserves which could supply many more towns.

"It's going to be, because of the distance and the volumes, it's going to be marginally more expensive than what they've got at the present time," he said.

"But the major advantage of it is that it's drought proof, it is not dependent on the weather.

"If you have a seven-year drought you are still going to be able to go without water restrictions."

See - Coal reserves to provide water to Qld towns.

Qld Govt hatches plan to free up drinking water ...

From ABC News (worth revisiting for Premier Beattie's comments):

The Queensland Government has announced $20 million to kick-start a recycling project for industry in the south-east, which would re-use treated effluent instead of using raw water.

Premier Peter Beattie hopes the new pipeline will be built in three years.

He say it will free up about 60,000 megalitres of raw water every year for urban use.

"What we're trying to do is free up drinking water for drinking," he said.

"Instead of using it in industry, instead of using it in on our garden, there is a clear strategy here and it makes good sense."

Natural Resources Minister Henry Palaszczuk says stage two of the project would explore the possibility of providing recycled water to farmers in the Lockyer Valley.

"They indicated to me that they are so keen on being part of a program, if it does comes to fruition, that they're prepared to even assist in the payment of the infrastructure in providing the pipe for the Lockyer," he said.

State Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg says there is no need for the government to put stage two on the backburner

"We know that it works, we know that it stacks up, we know that millions have been spent on feasibility, we know it makes sense, [so] get on and build it - stop stuffing around, get on and build it," he said.

See: Qld Govt hatches plan to free up drinking water.

There's water in west Qld ...

From ABC News:

Dam spill-over may benefit NSW farmers

The Queensland Government says New South Wales graziers should benefit from water spilling over from dams in southern Queensland.

The graziers complained earlier in the year that irrigators upstream were taking water that should have flowed onto their floodplains.

The Department of Natural Resources says about 15,000 megalitres is spilling over the Beardmore Dam near St George each day after rain.

The department's Ross Krebbs says the water is now finding its way into other parts of the Murray Darling River system.

"Yes there will be a component of water that gets through into NSW and it might just be a little bit early to call at this stage as to whether we'll have all streams flowing all through," he said.

"The key is the amount of duration we have and the more weeks of base flow we have the further we can get the water down the system."

See - Dam spill-over.

Recycled sewage project lacks transparency ...

Toowoomba City Council Councillor Shelton has expressed concern over the manner in which the Council has dealt with its controversial recycled sewage proposal.

Commenting in the Chronicle, he said: "It hasn't been transparent like normal projects council does ... it hasn't had the reporting as an agenda item to council, we're still to see written reports, and the only decision made is to apply to the National Water Commission. It doesn't mean we've signed off on it - we all need to know more."

Councillor Shelton also criticized Minister Palaszczuk for ruling out building a dam at Emu Creek because of the cost of lifting water by 150 metres. Councillor Shelton called for an urgent update on studies done on the Emu Creek dam proposal.

Councillor Shelton is still waiting for a breakdown on the Council's spending on the proposed recycled sewage project, which is expected in the new year.

I thought the Council was confident of its costings on the recycled sewage project.

The Toowoomba Water Futures website has the "explain all cost analysis" (see: http://www.toowoombawater.com.au/whats-new!/theexplain-allcostanalysis.html) with the numbers apparently "audited" by the Department of Natural Resources and Mines.

Now it will take a month before they can provide the figures to one of the Councillors.

What's going on?

Council caught out over misleading information ...

On page 7 of today's Chronicle, the Toowoomba City Council admits to using misleading information in their promotional information for their recycled sewage project.

In a written response to questions raised by Councillor Shelton, the Council admitted "that Disneyland wasn't drinking recycled water. Councillors' documentation on the project included colour pictures of Disneyland under the heading "Who else has planned potable reuse?"

Councillor Shelton said: "I'm disappointed we were given the pictures and led to believe something which doesn't appear to be the case."

What else are they saying that isn't correct ...

Councils push for unity on water use

From the Courier Mail on 15 December:

SOUTHEAST Queensland's councils will try to persuade another five regions to adopt permanent water restrictions, in a move that has the cautious support of the water and garden industries.

The move could lead to Toowoomba, Noosa, Maroochy, Caloundra and Boonah residents being subjected to ongoing water restrictions regardless of the level of storage dams.

Thirteen council mayors, including those from Brisbane and the Gold Coast, last week drafted permanent water restrictions to come into effect when the region emerges from drought.

But SEQWater chief executive officer Peter Borrows said that the same proposal also would be put to the 18-strong Council of Mayors.

It's understood the Council of Mayors will decide the matter early next year.

Mr Borrows said the regional approach was responsible and would be accepted by Queenslanders at large.

"The community realises that we have to change the way we think about and use water to ensure we can maintain the fantastic southeast Queensland lifestyle now and into the future," he said.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman predicted that all 18 southeast Queensland councils would adopt the permanent water restriction.

Last week the mayors resolved that the additional five councils would consider "regionally compatible permanent restrictions" approved by other councils.

Cr Newman said a region-wide approach would save resources and prevent confusion. "There's also the issue of equity, especially for people using the same water system," he said.

See - Push for unity.

Drinking recycled water - a last resort ...

Interesting comments in a recent press article from South Africa:

Most African governments are still using a cheap "firefighting" approach to tackle the major water crises which threaten to overwhelm their people, a regional meeting of the continent's water bosses has heard.

Instead of planning strategically and spending the money that was really needed to give water security to the continent's 885 million people, many nations still focused on small-scale projects to plug the gaps, according to a draft report by African water ministers.

The ministers met in the Namibian capital, Windhoek, for three days last week to prepare a continental strategy document which will be presented to the World Water Forum in Mexico early next year.

The venue of the meeting in the arid nation of Namibia was perhaps appropriate, given that water resources are so scarce in Windhoek that its 250 000 residents have to drink recycled sewage water.

See - Much of Africa is dying of thirst.

Unfortunately, for some other nations, they do not have other water supply options ...

New pipeline to save water

From ABC News -

The Stag Creek pipeline officially opened yesterday.

The $19 million project carries water from Stag Creek Gorge to the Callide Dam, east of Biloela.

It will help power stations save 3,000 megalitres of water a year, which is normally wasted.

The project partners, Callide Power Plant, CS Energy, InterGen Australia and SunWater are also investigating the use of recycled water.

The new pipeline will reduce seepage and evaporation and enable more efficient distribution of water to industrial customers.

See - New pipeline to save water.

I wonder how much Toowoomba's water pipes leak ...

Federal Government announces national water market study ...

From ABC News -

The Federal Government has moved to stem criticism over delays in implementing the National Water Initiative, announcing details of a study into a nationwide water market.

Treasurer Peter Costello wants the Productivity Commission to look at how water trading may occur between states and catchments.

He says the commission will also investigate how a water market could create more investment in rural water use, to cut wastage and improve water delivery to farms.

The trading system was a key plank of the National Water Initiative, which creates clear property rights for farmers, while allocating water to the environment.

The commission will report to Government within six months.

See - Study to assess national water market

Also see - NWC press release - Water trading vital to national water reform.

Let's slow the flow ...

of recycled sewage for drinking ...


Use it for industry. Recycled sewage for drinking is a last resort.

Toowoomba water sales down ... price increases to come?

Towards the end of the Council Committee minutes for 6-7 December are two interesting points:

1. Item 50.3 Water Income

There will be a substantial reduction of water income as a result of the drought and water restrictions [and the recent rains reducing the need to water gardens].

2. Item 50.4 Water Pricing Review

Quotations have been sought for a review of the water pricing model for the two-part tariff.

See - Council minutes - 6-7 December 2005.

So to plug the reduction in income, Council is going to review the pricing for water. Look for water rates increases in 2006!

One of the interesting aspects of the recycled sewage proposal is that it permits the Council to "manufacture" water for sale to residents. If it were to proceed, don't rule out the Council embarking on a "use as much water as possible" campaign - the more you use, the more the Council rakes in. Makes you think that the Council's motivation for introducing recycled sewage is financial.

If Council adopted an alternative to the recycled sewage proposal which involved buying water from a third party such as Qld Gas Corp or irrigators, Council could only charge ratepayers a margin over what it costs to buy the water. It makes much more financial sense to recycled the water yourself and maximise the profits ...

Toowoomba City Council CEO quits ....

... and moves to run a Council which is not trying to introduce recycled sewage for drinking.

Just 18 months in the job, Council CEO Chris Rose is leaving to rejoin Logan City Council.

The position was advertised nationally in October when Mr Rose had held the Toowoomba CEO position for just 16 months.

See - Logan City Council press release.

Also see - Toowoomba City Council press release.

While we can understand Mr Rose's decision to rejoin Logan City Council as CEO (the previous CEO had held the job for 26 years), there's probably a sense of relief at leaving his current situation.

And, at such an important time, the Mayor is losing her right hand man. She'll need to train a new CEO in her style of administrating.

Qld Government recycled water guidelines still not finalised ...

It's interesting that the Qld Government's guidelines for the safe use of recycled water have still not been finalised ...

See - draft Guidelines.

AgForce not happy with Minister Palaszczuk

AgForce has criticized the Qld Government's Artesian Basin water plan.

ABC News reports:

AgForce says the Queensland Government's draft water resources plan for the Great Artesian Basin (GAB) is not based on sound science.

The Department of Natural Resources released the draft plan in February designed to manage resources for the largest underground water storage in Australia.

The department says it will only allow 24,000 megalitres of new allocations for feedlots, mining and irrigation.

AgForce's water spokesman Kim Bremner says it does not make sense.

"The estimates out of the draft plan show there's 6.5 billion megalitres of water in the basin," he said.

"Now, AgForce estimates that probably about 70,000 megalitres is being used at the moment and we certainly believe that with good science and the measurement of pressure, which is more important than the volume in the GAB, should be a better way of managing sustainable use out of the basin."

A spokesman for Natural Resources Minister Henry Palaszczuk says AgForce has already been granted an extension to reply to the draft water resource plan and claims by it that the plan has been rushed through are unfounded.

See - Agforce critical of Artesian Basin water plan.

Councillor questions recycled water proposal ...

One Toowoomba City Council Councillor is prepared to question the Council regarding its controversial recycled water proposal.

The Chronicle reported a number of the comments made by Councillor Shelton during the Council meetings on 6-7 December regarding the recycled water proposal:

The water crisis and update on the status of the controversial water project led to tension in the chamber yesterday.

Cr Lyle Shelton renewed his warnings that there are varying experts opinions on the safety of the treatment of wastewater for human consumption.

He admitted he wrote the 10 yet-to-be-answered posers, tabled by Keith Beer, last month.

Cr Shelton also queried the 80c/kl price estimate on the processed water.

Cr Shelton said he was posing questions that "all Toowoomba people would want to know about — it's obvious there's still a lot more work to do".

"I'm not necessarily against indirect potable re-use, but it remains a fact that there is a disparity in the view of scientists," he said.

"It really grieves me that every time you raise this it creates a stir.

"I'm doing it in good faith and I feel I have a duty as a councillor to ask these questions.

"The longer it goes without answers the more it raises your concerns."

See - Councillor Shelton raises concerns.

Sometimes, it is the lone voice of dissent which asks the most relevant questions ...

Deputy Mayor Ramia sees red over opposition to recycled water plans ...

Toowoomba Deputy Mayor Joe Ramia was not happy during the Council meetings on 6-7 December.

The Chronicle made the following comments regarding his position on opposition to the Mayor's controversial recycled sewage proposal:

Water portfolio chair Cr Joe Ramia saw red.

"I'm sick and tired of the disunity and I'm not going to mention anyone, the people who all of sudden become real experts — give them a calculator, they can do in one minute what it's taken engineers years to learn.

"I've had it up to my back teeth and I'm sick and tired of the innuendo that has gone on about every staff member who has spent countless hours working out figures — and Lyle, I'll tell you now, if the hat fits wear it," he said.

Cr Ramia wants everyone to get on with the job they are paid to do.

"As a council we've got to stick together and be united and keep supplying information to the community how we re going to get through this drought," he said.

Cr Ramia sees council's role as ensuring the city doesn't run dry.

See - Deputy Mayor sees red.

Perhaps the Council's role should also be ensuring there is an open and transparent process as part of adopting the best water solution for Toowoomba and the neighbouring Shires supplied by Toowoomba ...

Mayor Thorley not confident of NWC decision ...

Today's Chronicle quotes the Mayor during the Council meetings on 6-7 December:

The long-awaited decision on the $68m Toowoomba Water Futures project is expected within a fortnight. The final decision rests with Prime Minister John Howard. Toowoomba Mayor Dianne Thorley said Mr Howard had all the project details. "And we wait with baited breath for the political interference," she told her council colleagues yesterday.

See - Key players remain divided but Prime Minister holds the key.

The Prime Minister is likely to make a decision shortly on the Mayor's controversial proposal to introduce recycled sewage into Toowoomba's drinking water supply.

QGC gas water raised in Federal Parliament ...

The Hon. Bruce Scott, Federal Member for Maranoa, raised the importance of Qld Gas Corp gas water in Federal Parliament on 5 December 2005.

Here's what he said:

Water Management

I rise in this debate to grieve about the way a water by-product of the mining and extraction of coal bed methane gas from the Surat Basin is merely being left to evaporate away. There are many companies in the Surat Basin extracting coal bed methane and obviously being able to find a ready market for the methane gas. This is a technology that even 10 years ago was in its infancy. Twenty years ago, coal bed methane was just lost to the environment as part of a coalmining operation. It is really about value adding to the coal industry and being able to utilise something that would otherwise have been wasted.

I will explain to the House this afternoon how the coal bed methane is extracted from these coalfields. First of all, they drill to find the reserves and then they have to extract the gas. As they extract the gas, a large volume of water comes up with the gas. Why is that? The water molecule is larger than the gas molecule; so, as part of the extraction process, the water comes up to the surface ahead of the gas, as I understand it. The companies that are mining the coal bed methane gas, obviously stripping the gas from the water, are able to process it and feed it into the Roma-Brisbane pipeline to supply industries in Brisbane. There are gas pipelines that head north to Gladstone and Townsville. So it is an invaluable source of energy that is being extracted from the Surat coal bed, and coming up with it is water.

The problem with this water at the moment is that it carries salts with it, and it has to be cleaned up if it is to be used in any way other than perhaps in an industrial sense. An industrial use, for instance, could be to wash coal, as the coal industry develops in that part of Queensland. There are a very large number of feedlots in that region which require water. More water will be required as both those industries expand in the future. One of the first things that industries require before they invest capital is a known reserve of water, whether it is in the development of the coal industry or whether it is in the feedlot industry. Both of those industries really are being held back through the lack of guarantees of an available or suitable water source.

Here we have a known water source which is a by-product of the coal bed methane being sold for purposes within Queensland now. Why, on the driest continent on earth, are we allowing this water that comes up as part of the coal bed methane extraction process to be merely evaporated away? It is beyond me. These companies are not doing anything illegal; it is quite legal. One of the conditions of their licence is that they can actually evaporate this water away.

I want to talk a bit about the Queensland Gas Co. It has put a proposal to the federal government, under the National Water Initiative, for financial assistance to build a water pipeline so as to be able to sell this water into markets in the Condamine-Murray-Darling Basin system, particularly for towns in that region. The Queensland Gas Co. is to be commended for its actions because it wants to amend the use of the water, which is merely being evaporated away now, and to use a process of reverse osmosis to provide potable water for urban communities. Some of the water that is a by-product of that reverse osmosis process could also be used for industries.

The size of the known water reserves that, over the next 20 years, will be extracted from the fields that the Queensland Gas Co. is operating in at the moment is quite staggering. There are something like 352,000 megalitres of water that is known to be available over the next 20 years just from the current extraction wells of the Queensland Gas Co. There are other wells in the region from other companies. North of Roma, where I live, I know that for a number of years they have been evaporating the water away once they have extracted the coal bed methane. There is a large number of them. But, going back to the proposal of the Queensland Gas Co., 352,000 megalitres of water is known to be available over the next 20 years.

The City of Toowoomba right now has a proposal, under the National Water Initiative, in front of the federal government for some money to secure more water or to have more sustainability in their water supply. Toowoomba is a city of some 95,000 people and it needs something like 14,000 megalitres of water per year. To put that into context, that is 352,000 megalitres of water over the next 20 years just from the operations of the Queensland Gas Co. that will evaporate unless something is done to assist companies to utilise this water in ways other than just evaporating it away. Put another way, 352,000 megalitres of water would provide enough water for 20 years for 2.388 million people. That gives you some idea of the sheer magnitude of the water that will be evaporated away unless something changes in the way we use it and unless financial assistance comes from both the Queensland and the federal governments.

Progressive towns in my electorate—Dalby, Chinchilla and Miles—are all looking with great interest at this water source. They recognise that, if they are able to buy this water at affordable prices—because at the end of the day they would have to on-sell this water to the residents of these local council areas—and if they are able to enter into contracts with the Queensland Gas Co. and other companies that are in this industry, it will release water from their sources now into the Condamine-Balonne-Murray-Darling Basin system. In other words, if we are able to see a process whereby this water is not evaporated away but is put through a process of reverse osmosis and then the potable water is made available to these shires—and I know the Chinchilla Shire has shown a great deal of interest in this—then we will see a market for that water. The water would be released and, I would suggest, they would be then able to sell their current allocation of water out of the Condamine River. That would be a win-win situation for the community and for the environment because it would release that water for other purposes downstream or for environmental flows.

Mr Deputy Speaker, you can see that what I grieve about this afternoon is that, whilst current licensing conditions allow these companies that are in the coal bed methane extraction industry to merely evaporate water away, we must do more than that in the future. I am supporting the application of the Queensland Gas Co. under the National Water Initiative for financial support for that project because of the benefits that will flow to industry, the community and the environment. At the end of the day we will be utilising a resource on the driest continent on earth. It is one of the most valuable resources we have—I could almost say that it is more valuable to us than the coal bed methane gas itself. We have to use water better in the future, and I am strongly in support of seeing this water not being evaporated away but utilised to a greater extent for industry and the community.

See: Hansard - House of Representatives - 5 December 2005

LA considers more recycling options ... but not for drinking

The city of Los Angeles is developing a massive blueprint of new sewer lines, treatment plant expansions and more water recycling as part of a new environmental impact report for the city's 20-year Integrated Resources Plan. But it has no current plans to extend this to using recycled sewage for drinking.

"Residents and environmentalists pushed the city to consider using highly treated sewage water to replenish groundwater and drinking water supplies in the report, but there's no plan to resurrect 'toilet to tap,' said Tom Erb, director of water resources for the Department of Water and Power. "

See - LA Daily News

Interesting Council tactic to coerce the NWC to provide funding ...

The minutes of the Council meetings on 15-16 November show an interesting twist in the tactics of the Toowoomba City Council in its attempts to get funding for its controversial recycled water for drinking proposal.

The Council now claims it is "receiving strong pressure from Acland Coal to sign a contract guaranteeing water supply and timelines. The guarantees are essential to enable the board of New Hope Coal to make a decision on expansion of Acland Mine."

This was the justification for yet another visit to Canberra to coerce the NWC into funding the proposed project.

The Mayor's rationale now seems to be "give us money so we can make our residents drink recycled sewage because we have to provide some of the water to a coal mine".

New Hope Coal, the owner of the New Acland Coal Pty Ltd which operates the mine, is planning to expand current mining operations from 4.7 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of run of mine (ROM) coal to up to 7.5 Mtpa of ROM coal for up to 13 years. The mine is actually situated in Rosalie Shire.

The Initial Advice Statement in relation to the Stage 2 production dated 2 March 2005 submitted to the Qld EPA stated:

"New Acland Coal Pty Ltd is researching the possibility of using treated wastewater from the Wetalla Treatment Plant (i.e. as part of Wetalla's future plan to pipe treated wastewater from Toowoomba to various locations on the Darling Downs). This water source will increase reliability of supply, help "drought proof" the Mine, accommodate the increased water requirements of the proposed expansion and reduce the current reliance on the groundwater bores."

"New Acland Coal is investigating other potential water supply options and the economic and environmental implications of these options."

Also, see - Chairman's address:

"Planning for Acland Stage 2 production expansion to 3.75 million tonnes per annum in 2007 is well in hand. Preliminary planning for a future Acland Stage 3 expansion has commenced so as to be activated when coal markets and infrastructure are available."

Also, see New Hope's presentation to Brokers and Institutional Investors on 9 November 2005 (accessible via the ASX).

Also, see details on the Acland Coal Mine expansion.

If the Council's claims are in fact true, a listed ASX company is trying to bully a regional Council to sign contracts guaranteeing wastewater supply on a project which the House of Reps "Sustainable Cities" Inquiry report says should be subject to an independent review.

It's interesting that in neither New Hope's press releases nor its Initial Advice Statement to the Qld EPA does it say that using the recycled water from Toowoomba is crucial to the expansion and its decision to proceed.

Toowoomba water quality - a test ...

The Toowoomba Water Futures website now has a document which "compares Cooby Dam raw water quality (before treatment at Mt Kynoch Water Treatment Plant) with test results from a number of potable reuse projects".

See - A comparison between Advanced Treatment Plant water and Cooby Dam water.

It would seem that they are comparing apples and oranges but unfortunately you can't download the pdf document so who would know ...

Commerce Qld - disappointed with Toowoomba City Council ...

Commerce Qld made the following press release on 29 November 2005 in relation to the Council's questionable feasibility studies:

Business Disappointed by Council’s Questionable Feasibility Studies

Commerce Queensland today expressed disappointment with the costings and comments recently released by the Toowoomba City Council.

The Toowoomba City Council’s Toowoomba Future Waters Strategy, which proposes to use recycled water for consumption, has been put forward as the preferred water supply option, supposedly due to feasibility findings.

Yet Commerce Queensland South West Queensland Regional Chairman, Ken Murphy said the feasibility data Council was using to support its decision was questionable.

“Council has been quick to disregard a report from a respected national engineering firm showing that the cost of the Condamine Alluvium alternative is only half what has been used for comparisons.

“Council are still adamant that the recycling project is the best option, simply because their figures show that it is the cheapest.

“Based on approximately 30,000 ratepayers, even at Council’s inflated values, the Condamine Alluvium project would only cost an extra $117 per rate payer. That is less than 32 cents a day.

“The cheapest is not always the best option. The region’s reputation is at stake and 32 cents may be a small price to pay,” Mr Murphy said.

Council has also been quick to disregard Queensland Gas Company’s proposal to invest large sums of money to assist with drought proofing South West Queensland.

“For several months, Commerce Queensland has been calling for a Regional Water Plan to look at all options throughout the region.

“Private enterprise has already put up its hands to support the possibility of a total review, and we are now calling on all Councils within the region to address the water shortages in a combined effort.

“We are also concerned that with all the emphasis on the Toowoomba Water Futures project coming on line in 2012, that we do not lose sight of our immediate needs over the next few years.

“There is no single solution to the shortage. We need to look at all options, all available supplies, and all areas to formulate a plan to guarantee supply of water well into the future,” Mr Murphy said.

See - Press release - 29 November 2005.

Commerce Qld - at odds with Minister Palaszczuk ...

Press release by Commerce Qld on 11 November 2005 responding to Minister Palaszczuk's comments on the Nu Water proposal to use recycled water for irrigation on the Downs.

See - Press release.

Also see - related article in Qld Country Life.

More coal seam gas = more gas water ...

Gas company Origin says it may have found another significant coal seam gas deposit at Talinga near Condamine on southern Queensland's western Darling Downs.

The company has begun exploratory drilling ...

See - Coal seam gas deposit.

A brief comment on abusive and threatening behaviour ...

The events of last Friday 25 November in Toowoomba when an elected Councillor apparently left multiple telephone messages of an abusive and threatening nature towards two members of the public warrants a mention.

There is no place in a democratic society such as Australia for elected officials to harass and intimidate members of the public.

Such misconduct cannot and should not be permitted.