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?