$68 million recycling plan awaits return of PM ...

Quite a good summary of some of the issues so far:

From the Toowoomba Chronicle - some excerpts (with annotations)

20 January 2006

The debate so far ...

News on the federal funding for the $68m Toowoomba Water Futures project is expected after Prime Minister Howard returns from holidays.

Toowoomba City Council's director of engineering, Kevin Flanagan, delivered the update on Wednesday - during its first sitting of committee meetings for 2006.

A "yeah, no or maybe," predicted before Christmas did not eventuate.

All has been quiet on the southern front. The Toowoomba Water Futures funding application was lodged with the National Water Commission on June 30.

News of the council plan to beat the uncertain water supplies by recycling wastewater for human consumption initially met with deafening [stunned] silence.

Toowoomba Mayor Dianne Thorley's popularity was put to the test when she walked into a cauldron of community anxiety like none she's ever faced.

More than 500 citizens streamed into Centenary Heights hall, where a placard-waving, booing horde was demanding a referendum to let the people decide.

Unity in the ranks began to disintegrate when former mayor Clive Berghofer, privy to all the behind closed-door briefings, broke ranks fearing for the city's image.

Politicians, once thought to support the project, were also having doubts despite assurances from scientists [the ones with the vested interests] and chemistry experts [ex-nursery man returned to school teaching] proclaiming the recycled water would be safe.

A petition of 7,082 signatures, which now is nearing 10,000, opposing the water recycling for human consumption was sent to John Howard, Peter Beattie and Toowoomba City Council.

Extra CSIRO testing, which would delay the drinking of recycled water to 2011 or 2012, was promised in October. [Note - the Mayor only offered this in the face of Mr Macfarlane's opposition. The original plan had no such testing over a number of years before introducing it for drinking, notwithstanding the various reports that say that more research is required on the effects of drinking recycled sewage.]

But member for Groom Ian Macfarlane was still not satisfied and withdrew his support pending feasibility [studies] on alternative water options. [A sensible decision in view of the half-truths and misinformation emanating for the Council.]

Cr Thorley said the homework had been done and there were no other feasible alternative. [This has been proved wrong - she refused to listen to any other options.]

Council's director of engineering, Kevin Flanagan, came up with the supporting figures. [This was the quick and dirty DNR review which looked at the Council's figures and did no independent assessment.]

After councillors had initially taken a united stand, Crs Lyle Shelton, Keith Beer and Graham Barron began revealing their own wavering convictions over health issues.

And then Cr Shelton's own investigations revealed visitors to Disneyland did not drink recycled water as portrayed in Water Futures promotional material. [How amateurish is the Council's approach to this issue?]