Councillor Shelton - other cities not considering recycling plans ...

Letter to the Editor, the Chronicle:

27 May 2006

Other cities not considering recycling plans

CC says I am against water recycling (TC, 8/5).

This is not so. Everyone, including me, supports recycling sewage water.

Whether or not that water should be piped back through drinking taps is open to debate.

Indeed Premier Beattie seems to have doubts.

Last month's sudden announcement that he would spend $200-$300 million from the sale of Ergon and Energex building massive dams for everyone else in South East Queensland indicates he does not see a Toowoomba-style effluent recycling-for-drinking scheme as feasible.

Singapore is the only city in the world with a sewage recycling-for-drinking plant like toe one proposed for Toowoomba. But just 1% of their drinking water comes from this plant. Toowoomba is proposing a ratio of 25%.

Despite water crises in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, none are considering recycling sewage water-for-drinking.

NSW Premier Morris Iemma recently rejected recycled effluent for drinking in Sydney citing "unresolved issues with health authorities".

Council's rapid rejection of other water supply options (including linking with Beattie's new dams) justifies a cautious approach.

Maybe Peter Beattie knows something about recycling-for-drinking that we don't.

Toowoomba people should consider this as council's one-sided $460,000 ratepayer-funded "yes" case rolls out.

LS
Toowoomba