Commerce Qld - submitting its own NWC funding application ...

Commerce Qld has announced that it will submit its own funding application to the National Water Commission.

Water doesn’t stop flowing at regional boundaries

25 August 2006

Commerce Queensland today announced its intention to lodge an application for funding with the National Water Commission to secure funding to develop a Regional Water Plan for South West Queensland.

South West Regional Chairman, Ken Murphy, said a regional approach to addressing water shortage was essential in order to resolve the major problems faced in the area.

“Water is a valuable commodity, crucial for business, and must be guaranteed to allow further investment and growth in the region,” Mr Murphy said.

“We no longer have the luxury or the ability to address the water on a town by town basis. It is important we remember that it doesn’t simply stop flowing at the Local Government boundaries.”

The recent Toowoomba Referendum highlighted the major shortage of this necessary resource, but also brought to the public arena suggestions of vast quantities of alternative supplies.

Although still waiting on a decision by the Premier regarding Commerce Queensland’s membership on the Toowoomba Water Task Force, the Regional Council believe that, in conjunction with these investigations, a regional approach, addressing issues such as infrastructure, must be undertaken.

“We are now seeking support from the various local state and federal members, Local Government, industry, environmental bodies, and relevant groups for our application,” Mr Murphy said.

See - Commerce Qld - Water doesn’t stop flowing at regional boundaries - 25 August 2006.

See also - WIN News - Regional Water Plan - 30 August 2006.

Just don't expect any support from Mayor Thorley ...

Yet another case study ...

This time it's the AWA's Master Class series - in Brisbane on 22-23 November 2006.

Seems as though there is a case study of the Water Futures project but no-one from Toowoomba City Council has been invited to participate.

See - AWA Master Class - Evaluating Water Recycling Projects.

Meanwhile the focus turns to water trading ...

See - AWA Dry Area Forum - Water for Irrigation and Cities.

Certainly now a focus of the National Water Commission.

If only Toowoomba City Council had thought of that (or listened to others) ...

Toowoomba Water Futures - the case study ...

See - Water Recycling Symposium - Toowoomba Water Futures case study - 15 August 2006.

In Canberra on 15 August.

Toowoomba City Council's Head of Engineering Services, Kevin Flanagan, was to present his views on the Water Futures project.

Given his recent "I'm angry" comments, it would have been an interesting seminar to attend ...

Recycled sewage - Federal Labor flip flops too ...

Federal opposition environmental spokesman, MP Albanese shows that Federal Labor is just as good at policy flip flops as Premier Beattie.

In March 2006, MP Albanese castigated Federal MP (and Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister on Water Issues) Malcolm Turnbull for forcing Toowoomba to proceed with its referendum.

See - Turnbull washes his hands of Toowoomba water recycling decision - 24 March 2006.

MP Albanese has now announced:

Nearly one-third of Australia's waste water would be recycled under an ambitious Labor plan to revolutionise water usage by 2015.

The recycled water would be used in factories and irrigation, not sent to households or used as drinking water unless communities chose to do so.

See - Federal Labor backflips - 23 August 2006.

So, it's up to the communities to decide? But isn't this what MP Turnbull has said since anouncing that Toowoomba's NWC funding for the controversial Water Futures project was subject to a number of conditions including majority approval via a referendum?

Seems Federal Labor has decided that recycled sewage water for potable use is a non-starter with the electorate and that there are many uses for it before needing to force people to drink it.

MP Albanese goes on to say:

"We must build the infrastructure we need to reuse water for non-drinking purposes, such as watering parks and gardens, and for industrial and commercial purposes," he will tell the Australian Financial Review National Infrastructure Summit.

"For most of Australia, recycling water for potable use is unnecessary and a distraction from the need to progress reform."

See - Federal Labor backflips - 23 August 2006.

This seems curiously similar to the Queensland opposition's recycling policy and is somewhat at odds with Premier Beattie's stance on the issue - depending on what day it is ...

Post-referendum clearance ...

Toowoomba City Council ...

Comprehensively outplayed, outclassed and outlasted in their attempts to force a fundamentally flawed recycled sewage plant on Toowoomba residents.

More soon ...

Qld goes to the polls on 9 September ...

See - Beattie goes to the polls.

Water will be a major issue in the state election campaign ...

Leahy's view on the Toowoomba referendum ...

See - Leahy's view.

Kevin Flanagan - I'm angry ...

With only himself and Mayor Thorley to blame for their poorly planned recycled sewage project and poorly managed strategy to introduce it to Toowoomba, Council's head of engineering services recently came out swinging:

Mr Kevin Flanagan, Director of Engineering Services in Toowoomba City Council is an engineer and has been responsible for supplying water to Toowoomba residents for over 17 years.

“I am frustrated, angry and disappointed. I’m especially frustrated that the debate was not based on sound science. It was not a debate about water but about politics and vested interests. The community of Toowoomba has been subjected to a nasty and extensive scare campaign. Recycled water remains a very worthwhile and safe option for communities to consider.”

Source - aussmc.org - I'm angry.

Mr Flanagan is especially frustrated that the debate was not based on sound science.

Who was it who told the community that the gas water was poisonous?

Who was it who said publicly that there were no other options and Toowoomba would run out of water?

Which side went into Toowoomba's schools and told the children that one day there would be nothing coming out of their water taps?

The only 'nasty and extensive scare campaign' came from the Toowoomba City Council and its supporters, including:

- threats to businesses if they did not support the Mayor's project.

- threats to individuals for speaking out against the project.

If Mr Flanagan had started with a recycled sewage project that at least would work, perhaps the community would have some sympathy for the belting he no doubt received from the Mayor after the referendum.

But to propose a project which would never work garners no sympathy.

To have known that Acland Coal did not want to take the RO waste stream but continue to perpetrate the lie that they would is unforgivable.

If the Yes campaign want to know who to blame for their failure, they need only look in the mirror ...

Liquid positions prove fluid ...

From the Courier Mail:

Liquid positions prove fluid

By Amanda Gearing

1 August 2006

Light rain fell yesterday in thirsty Toowoomba as water supply alternatives were taken down from the shelf.

Member for Toowoomba North Kerry Shine will meet Premier Peter Beattie, State Development Minister Anna Bligh and Water Minister Henry Palaszczuk this morning to arrange a meeting this week between the State Government and Toowoomba City Council to look at options after the failure of the weekend's recycled water referendum.

A pipeline from Wivenhoe Dam to Cressbrook Dam would offer long-term water security to Toowoomba but a dam at Emu Creek also was possible, he said.

Toowoomba city councillor Lyle Shelton, who led opposition to recycling sewage for drinking water, said the community, surrounding shires and irrigators needed to be drawn together in a summit within the next two to three weeks to explore water conservation and supply options.

He said the city needed to join the southeast Queensland water grid and be included in regional water planning.

"We have been left out and that was done without council knowledge or approval," he said.

Cr Shelton said the quickest option to ease Toowoomba's water shortage was a water trade with irrigators 60km west of the city who were willing to give priority supply of potable water to Toowoomba.

He said some of the $18 million to $20 million the council already had allocated for the failed water recycling scheme could be immediately diverted to build a pipeline from Norwin, northwest of the city.

This could come on line in six to 12 months to blend bore water with existing dam water and extend the dam supply.

The project would need a State Government subsidy to meet the overall cost estimated by engineers Farr Evratt at $40 million.

Cr Shelton said in the long term a dam was needed at Emu Creek, a steep-sided valley that was identified as a potential dam site decades ago.

Funding for the dam, estimated to cost up to $170 million, should be entirely funded by the Government as part of the state water grid, he said.

The same urgency the State Government is showing towards building dams for Ipswich, Logan and Brisbane should be shown towards building a dam for the people of Toowoomba and the Darling Downs, he said.

Source - Courier Mail - Liquid positions prove fluid.

Mayor Thorley in 2004 - Toowoomba has NO water problem ...

From the Courier Mail:

Toowoomba Mayor Di Thorley, who has championed water recycling, was another politician who dismissed fears of a water crisis as alarmist in 2004.

"There is nobody in dire straits of running out of water," she said.

Source - Courier Mail - Minister 'blocked pipeline'.

Suddenly, in mid-2005, it was never going to rain again and Toowoomba was going to run out of water by Christmas.

Amazing ...

Toowoomba gets it right ...

Comments on ABC News:

31 July 2006

Professor Don Bursill, retired former chief executive officer of the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Quality and Treatment, says there will always be some risks when sewage is turned into drinking water.

He says the chance of some pathogens and chemicals slipping through even the most sophisticated filtering systems can't be ruled out.

Bursill also says water workers would need to be specially trained and the regulatory system beefed up to cope with the new recycling technology.

We haven't overcome all the technical and regulatory issues, says one critic.

"I'm glad the community in Toowoomba rejected it because I don't think we're ready for it," he says.

Australia also needs to concentrate on using its existing water resources more efficiently before turning to solutions like recycling, he says.

Source - ABC News - Toowoomba votes NO.