The 4350water Blog highlights some of the issues relating to proposals for potable reuse in Toowoomba and South East Qld. 4350water blog looks at related political issues as well.

Friday, June 30, 2006

Mayor Thorley on the defensive yet again ...

This time over the use of ratepayers' funds in an attempt to get people to her Water Futures forums.

CADS organises a community water meeting and almost 1000 attend.

The Yes campaign cannot get people to attend their water forums so are now mailing movie passes in an attempt to get people to turn up.

Spot the campaign in trouble.

No wonder she is now going after the children.

Or is Mayor Thorley just trying to use the $465,000 in ratepayers' funds the Yes campaign allocated for itself by 29 July?


From the Chronicle:

Thorley scoffs at bribe claims

30 June 2006

By Greg Berghofer

Toowoomba Mayor Dianne Thorley has rejected suggestions movie tickets offered as inducement to attend council-run water forums are bribes.

As part of the ratepayer-funded campaign in recent weeks, some businesses have been posted invitations to attend the forums at Grand Central Cinema with the added inducement of being able to stay for a free screening of The Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

"The biggest issue is to get business out and that's the way we decided to do it so we could put the facts in front of people," Cr Thorley said.

"We're not actually telling them how to vote, but they could watch a movie if they wanted. If not, they could go (after the presentation)."

Cr Thorley said she didn't believe the movie issue could be considered a bribe.

"I don't think you could bribe people with a movie – not the people of Toowoomba – they're smarter than that."

The ticket offer was considered the most cost-effective.

"Telemarketing was looked at but it was considered intrusive as it was going into people's homes when they're at home having dinner," she said.

A council spokesman said the cost of tickets depended on the take-up rate because the cinema's prices were on a sliding scale.

An approximate cost was $8 a head, comparable to costs of forums held at community halls if the halls didn't have audio-visual equipment.

"No" voting councillor Lyle Shelton said the free tickets offer was a waste of ratepayers' money.

Source - Chronicle - Movie pass madness.


Spot the inconsistency in Mayor Thorley's story?

She says she wants to get businesses to her forums so she's mailing movie passes to businesses.

Reason? It's not as intrusive as telemarking because you'd be ringing homes at dinner time.

But she wants businesses to attend. Wouldn't you ring them during business hours?

Why go to the bother of tracking down business owners' home telephone numbers to give to telemarketers.

Oops, you're not supposed to spot the holes in Mayor Thorley's arguments. You're just meant to swallow them. Like the recycled sewage ...

Thursday, June 29, 2006

The Thorley Youth campaign ...

From WIN News:

29 June 2006

Water Website Anger

Yes campaign under more fire

Toowoomba City Council's Yes Campaign is once again coming under fire, this time for an online video targetting teenagers. A CADS spokesperson slamming the ad, who says it's nothing more than a ploy to brainwash our youth.


Source - WIN News - Water Website Anger.

The Water Futures website states:

"Talk to your parents, teachers, aunts, uncles, friends and neighbours. Let them know that you support the Water Futures project.

The July 29 poll is about your future, tell them to vote YES to keep your future flowing!"

What if they don't want to vote Yes? Should the children resort to violence against their parents, teachers, aunts, uncles, friends and neighbours?

Toowoomba City Council knows it is losing the referendum battle so it is resorting to movie pass and chocolate give aways to get people to its sessions.

It is also trying to convince children that the Water Futures project is Toowoomba's best option.

The Yes campaign appears to have formed the view that it is too hard to indoctrinate the older generation. Kids seem less skeptical of Council's one-sided and misleading campaign so target them for 'education' first.

One could say that "those who have youth on their side control the future" but that's a quote from the Hitler Youth days.

Surely that's not a fair comparison ...

Commerce Qld - Time to divulge ‘Plan B’ Toowoomba City Council ...

Press release by Commerce Qld (emphasis added):

Time to divulge ‘Plan B’ Toowoomba City Council

21 June 2006

Recent debate results have indicated the Toowoomba community is swinging towards a ‘no’ vote at the upcoming Water Futures Project referendum, reinforcing the need for other options.

Commerce Queensland is again calling for the Toowoomba City Council to show their hand and divulge a ‘Plan B’ instead of jeopardising the city’s future by refusing to lock an alternative plan into place.

Commerce Queensland South West Regional Chairman, Ken Murphy, said Council’s ongoing acknowledgement that they have no back up plan, highlights their contempt for the community and willingness to put Toowoomba’s future at risk.

“At last week’s debate, Council again confirmed there is no Plan B,” Mr Murphy said.

“Somebody needs to give the Council a few tips on good planning and management. It is not acceptable for them to sit on their hands and blackmail people into voting their way.”

The debate’s affirmative team suggested that the ‘yuck factor’ perception among the community was due to the dissemination of incorrect information by third parties. To counteract this, the Council has seen fit to allocate several senior staff plus $460,000 of ratepayers’ money to produce misleading statements designed to change residents’ minds.

Mr Murphy said the true cost will come in convincing those outside of Toowoomba that the water supply is ‘safe’.

How much of ratepayers’ money will continue to be wasted? If it costs that much to convince people locally, I hate to think what will be wasted trying to convince interstate and international customers and tourists that recycled sewerage is safe to drink and use in production?” Mr Murphy said.

“What about workers and families outside of Toowoomba? How much will it cost to convince them to move here instead of other areas already promoting their clean fresh water alternatives?”

Commerce Queensland will continue to push Council and their team of experts to spend time preparing a backup plan, rather than attempting to scare the community into believing Toowoomba will run out of water or that other options are too costly.

Source - Commerce Qld - Time to divulge ‘Plan B’ Toowoomba City Council.


Mayor Thorley's community engagement strategy is clearly working.

She has managed to convince Commerce Qld, whose mission is to deliver business solutions and financial success to Queensland industry, that the Water Futures project is misleading and a Toowoomba City Council scare campaign to force Toowoomba residents to accept drinking recycled sewage.

Well done!

Perhaps she needs to offer them some (ratepayer-funded) free movie passes.

Once again, the recycled water companies shrug their shoulders and wonder how long it will take to repair the damage done by Mayor Thorley and her team.

For more Commerce Qld press releases, see - Commerce Qld Toowoomba and SW Qld press releases.

Commerce Qld - Federal funds not just for recycling ...

From the Chronicle:

Funds not just for recycling: Commerce Qld

29 June 2006

Commerce Queensland believes alternatives to Toowoomba City Council's recycling project could receive government subsidies similar to those that have been approved for recycling.


Commerce Queensland regional chairman Ken Murphy was commenting on the report, 'Shelton: Polling style is legitimate' (TC, 28/5, Page 3), which said an alternative to Water Futures – swapping underground irrigation entitlements for Toowoomba's treated effluent – was unlikely to get State and Federal Government subsidies.

However, Mr Murphy said he was confident alternatives to Water Futures could attract subsidies.

The Federal Government gives National Water Commission grants for groundbreaking and innovative projects and which could be demonstration projects for the rest of Australia.

"For instance, coal seam gas for Dalby has been given approval which shows there is funding available there,'' Mr Murphy said.

"In New South Wales and Victoria, groundwater swaps have received federal funding which shows those projects are innovative enough."

Source - Chronicle - Funds not just for recycling: Commerce Qld.

China looks to recycled water for 2008 Olympics ...

... but not for drinking.

An excerpt:

Officials confident on 2008 Games water supply

...

In addition, the use of recycled water has been highlighted as an important solution to the water shortage problem.

This water will be used for irrigating urban green land, filling landscape rivers and car-washing, said Liu Hong, chief of Beijing Saving Water Centre.

Statistics show the total of 89.48 million square metres of public green land in Beijing consume 60 million cubic metres of water every year.

Last year, some 3 million cubic metres of recycled water was used in a trial irrigation project to water 1.5 million square metres of green land.

A total of 260 million cubic metres of recycled water was used last year, 1 million more than in 2004.

The city aims to consume a further 100 million cubic metres of "second-hand" water next year, with the total reaching 600 million by 2010.

Read the full article - China Daily - Officials confident on 2008 games water supply.

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

The intelligence of the Yes campaign ...

See - Councillor Shelton receives anonymous mail.

At least they can count.

If it wasn't such a waste of resources, one might suggest that Councillor Shelton get the police to check the fingerprints.

It's not too hard to figure out who might be behind this latest Yes campaign tactic.

With every game that is played, it just shows Toowoomba voters how silly and desperate the Yes campaign has become - and just convinces more people to vote No on 29 July ...

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Minister Palaszczuk goes MIA ...

From ABC News:

Qld Water Minister in hiding: Opposition

27 June 2006

The Queensland Opposition says the state Water Minister is "missing in action".

Deputy leader Jeff Seeney says Henry Palaszczuk has not been heard from since he admitted the Logan and Mary River dam sites were not the best options recommended by consultants.

With the final decision expected in the next fortnight, Mr Seeney says the Minister has gone to ground.

"I think Henry Palaszczuk has either been gagged or is running for cover," he said.

"I think 'Hapless Henry' has made such a muck-up of the water issue over the last week that he would be better off staying undercover."

A spokeswoman for the Minister denies he has been gagged.

She says Mr Palaszczuk was not available for an interview at the time the requests were made.

Source - ABC News - Qld Water Minister in hiding: Opposition.

Also see - Traveston dam site flooded by lies.

Mayor Thorley stares history in the face ...

... and tempts "feather-duster" status.

From the Courier Mail

No office for recycling

by Amanda Gearing and Brendan O'Malley

27 June 2006

The first Australian mayor to be dumped from office for backing recycled drinking water has warned Toowoomba Mayor Di Thorley she risks the same fate.

Ten years ago Caboolture Shire residents ditched their mayor, John White, after he had served for 16 years on the council.

He blamed his demise on a plan to recycle purified sewage from the local wastewater treatment plant.

"I didn't see it as an election issue but very emotive terms were used and the topic was used to divide the public," he said.

"One day I was the rooster, the next I was a feather duster."

Cr Thorley, who plans to contest the 2008 council election, is backing a similar plan for drought-stricken Toowoomba, where residents are facing a July 29 referendum on water recycling.

Mr White warned she risked a similar fate and he called for a co-ordinated approach from the State Government instead of allowing individual councils to cop the flak.

"If (her) opposition chooses to use this as an issue then she will become a feather duster as well," he said.

He admitted that if he had been able to foresee the deep divisions the debate caused he would have advocated recycling for uses other than drinking.

Cr Thorley said that although she did not underestimate how concerned some residents were about the issue she would not back down.

"I've acknowledged that people take this seriously but I have not seen that as a reason to make me lose courage," she said.

"I think 1997 in Caboolture was a very different time.

"They weren't faced with running out of water, no one thought Wivenhoe Dam could run dry and you didn't have climate change in the media day after day."

Mr White said he was pleased the debate had led Caboolture to spend millions of dollars to improve its water treatment facilities and to embrace recycling of water for parks, gardens and sporting fields.

"It defies logic to treat millions of litres of water and then dump it into the ocean," he said.

In 1999 Caboolture upgraded its sewage treatment works, treating the effluent to A-class standard rather than building an outfall pipeline to Moreton Bay.

The recycled effluent is now used for new housing and industrial developments and major water users including school grounds, the town's showgrounds and sporting fields, parks and gardens, roadworks and building sites.

Source - Courier Mail - No office for recycling.

Dalby not Toowoomba to be future model of recycled water use ...

With State and Federal government funding for the innovative use of gas water for the town's water supply and the use of recycled water for the town's parks and gardens, Dalby is expected to be the model for recycled water use in Australia.

See - Dalby secures long-term water supply.

Caboolture becomes a leader in recycling water for non-potable uses ..

Excerpt from the Courier Mail:

Caboolture – which nine years ago became Queensland's first town to reject recycling effluent for drinking water – has become a leader in recycling effluent for other uses to save drinking supplies.

See - Courier Mail - Kevin loves new plan.

Monday, June 26, 2006

SMH doesn't let the facts get in the way of a story ...

It's Sunday and you have a deadline.

How much fact checking do you do?

Do you get Councillor Shelton on the phone and ask him his views?

Do you get any of the State opposition members on the phone and ask their views?

No - there's a deadline - just thrown something together for the editor and it'll be ok.

Toss in a quote or two from Ian Kiernan. The editor will lap it up and the story will go to print and you can get on with your next story.

Today's story is tomorrow's fish and chip wrapper anyway.

That pretty much sums up Wendy Frew's latest effort in the Sydney Morning Herald.

See - SMH - Recycling splits a thirsty city.

Once again, an uninformed view by someone not too familiar with the Toowoomba debate.

Some excerpts:

"The accusations are flowing thick and fast, mostly from anonymous bloggers making unsubstantiated claims about heavy-handed council tactics."

Imagine the view she might have formed if she had actually spoken to Councillor Shelton or the State MPs.

The Yes campaign's heavy handed tactics are well documented.

"Toowoomba City Council is spending $500,000 to win the hearts and minds of ratepayers. But a campaign against the plan, using the internet, petitions and public meetings, has muddied the waters."

Why is that the opponents have "muddied the waters"? Why is not possible to have an open and transparent discussion and debate on the issue? Why does Mayor Thorley hide from the voters and avoid their questions?

Also an interesting omission that no funds were allocated by Mayor Thorley to the No campaign. Perhaps that is one of those "unsubstantiated heavy handed tactics".

"Its [sic] not just Toowoomba that has a lot riding on the result. The referendum is viewed as a bellwether for the promotion of recycled drinking water. Success will buoy other councils hoping to implement similar schemes; failure could set back recycling for years."

Any blame for the failure of the Toowoomba scheme falls squarely on Mayor Thorley's shoulders. Her "you can drink it or buy bottled water" approach to community engagement has been the cornerstone of her campaign.

Cr Thorley scoffs at the critics and stands by her decision to push the project through.

"There is only one question to be answered," she said. "Is this water pure enough to drink? And the answer is yes. All the rest of this stuff is argy-bargy and people playing games."

You wouldn't want to start compiling a list of the games played by Mayor Thorley and her floundering Yes campaign.

Mayor Thorley was elected to represent Toowoomba ratepayers not the recycled water industry. Toowoomba voters have a right and, in fact, an obligation to question the decisions that their elected representatives make. Anything less than that is not a democracy.

It is important to get the truth out to the people. If the newpapers won't do it, bloggers will.

But when you have a deadline and not much interest in the issue, what do you care about the truth ...

Ian Kiernan - go with us - but where???

Ian Kiernan made the following comments to the Sydney Morning Herald:

The chairman of Clean Up Australia, Ian Kiernan, who was on the panel, said it was a matter of trust. "I am 100 per cent convinced that potable reuse is the way of the future," he said. "So I am asking the people of Toowoomba to go with us."

Source - SMH - Recycling splits a thirsty city.

Go with us where? That's a fair question.

New South Wales is NOT adopting planned recycled water for drinking projects.

Victoria is NOT adopting planned recycled water for drinking projects.

Premier Beattie says it is NOT state government policy to put recycled water into Queensland's dams.

So exactly where would Toowoomba be going if it "goes with them"?

Sounds like another invitation to be the great experiment for the recycled water industry.

No thanks ...

Why fear and desperation now drive the Yes campaign ...

Political and administrative careers hang in the balance.

As each day passes, they know that they have backed the wrong horse in the water resource race.

They resort to increasingly bizarre and desperate methods to tempt voters to their meetings.

Can't 'educate' them if they won't attend. Can't go into their homes to do so.

The recycled water industry shakes its collective head at their campaign approach and each new gimmick.

Any attempt to introduce recycled water for drinking requires a careful long-term approach and must be based on a sound rationale.

How damaging has their campaign been to the recycled water industry?

Much will be written on this in the future.

Their arguments in favour of the recycled water project were flawed from the start and attempts to cover up missing documents, approval abnormalities and project deficiencies are obvious to all.

But for the main players, they need to win. The alternative is too horrible.

It will mean they have not been believed. The public has viewed them with suspicion. They have not bought their arguments.

It will mean renewed calls for their resignations and questions will be raised regarding their conduct.

It is 'crash or crash through' time.

For failure is complete.

And in the wings are countless investigations relating to personal conduct and statements made during the debate.

It has been farcical - you'd think it a comedy if it were not for the gross abuse of process and waste of ratepayers' funds.

If only it had happened somewhere else ...

Saturday, June 24, 2006

The AWA blow-ins ...

Isn't it interesting how many "experts" from outside Toowoomba are so keen for people in Toowoomba to drink recycled sewage.

Today it was the AWA organised meeting.

Do you think the meeting speakers spent any time at all talking to people in Toowoomba about other options?

Do you think the meeting speakers spent any time in Toowoomba considering whether there are other uses for recycled sewage (industry, agriculture) before asking people to accept drinking it?

Why do you think they blew into town for their sewage roadshow?

Why didn't they stop to consider the alternatives for Toowoomba before deciding to push recycled sewage onto Toowoomba residents?

Can it be because they would like to roll out recycled sewage for drinking projects throughout Australia, starting with Toowoomba?

And why is that?

Is it because they are truly concerned about the environment?

Perhaps if there was some credible NGO pushing recycled sewage for drinking, one could understand their motivation. But the Australian Water Association (AWA) is an association funded by members of the recycled water industry, in whose interest it is to expand the recycled water industry in Australia - starting in Toowoomba.

Remember that next time they try to tell you that you should drink recycled sewage ...

Friday, June 23, 2006

State opposition inspects Emu Dam site ...

Excerpt from the Chronicle:

A dam on the lower waters of the meandering creek, which runs behind Crows Nest, is the centrepiece of the party's water policy for Toowoomba and was investigated yesterday as a troop of Nationals MPs and candidates met irrigators and landholders throughout the region.

At Emu Creek, grazier Michael Patch was the Nationals' tour guide and shared stories of floods between the slopes, and a watercourse that was generally always running.

He gave a dam his stamp of approval as the perfect site to supply the region.

...

Opposition water spokesman Jeff Seeney, who joined Mike Horan, Stuart Copeland and Ray Hopper on the tour, said only about three properties would be affected if a dam were constructed on land which he described as "poor agricultural".

It was expected a dam on Emu Creek would hold about 130,000 megalitres, with an annual release equivalent to Cressbrook and Perseverance dams.

"We want a real, long-term solution so Toowoomba doesn't drip along forever on heavy, heavy restrictions," Mr Horan said.

"We do need an innovative long-term solution that allows for growth; that allows Oakey, Dalby, Chinchilla and all those places to grow."

Mr Horan said short-term solutions included extracting and piping water from the gas fields at Chinchilla, trading water with the Norwin irrigators and recycling water for industry and gardens, all of which were still under investigation.

"We're very strongly for recycling, but not for drinking," Mr Horan said.

...

Mr Copeland said it was no longer credible for Premier Peter Beattie to deny Toowoomba a dam when it was prepared to spend billions to develop two dams for Brisbane.

Source - Chronicle - Nationals eye Emu Creek as ideal site for building dam.

Now that the State opposition has evidence obtained under the FOI legislation that the DNRM&W's 'quick and dirty review' of Toowoomba's water source options was just that, the Toowoomba City Council will come under further pressure to justify its beleaguered Water Futures project as the only option for Toowoomba.

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Water Futures - water source alternatives not properly investigated ...

From WIN News:

Coalition Water

Opposition claims it has evidence alternatives were dismissed

The Queensland Opposition says it has evidence alternatives to water recycling in Toowoomba have been prematurely dismissed.


Nationals Deputy Leader Jeff Seeney says a freedom of information report shows several other options haven't been properly investigated, today touring the region to form the basis for Opposition policy.

Source - WIN News - Coalition Water.

This is going to get very interesting ...

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Yes campaign has 16 votes ...

The Toowoomba City Council's Water Futures supporters book has been online for 3-4 weeks.

Ignoring the four anonymous comments and two apparently from people outside Toowoomba, the Water Futures project has 16 supporters - so 16 people likely to vote Yes on 29 July.

(Interestingly, a number of the supporters' comments seem somewhat scripted - perhaps by Mayor Thorley's Yes team - with around $7,000 of ratepayers' money being used on the Yes campaign each day, perhaps preparing supporters' comments is one of their tasks.)

Add to this number, Mayor Thorley and the rest of the six pack and there's 22 votes.

You could add Kevin Flanagan to the list but he doesn't live in Toowoomba and therefore doesn't get to vote on 29 July.

There's probably a few more Yes voters out there.

But the numbers who have left comments online for the supporters' book are similar to the numbers turning up for the Council's forum sessions.

Seems it is getting harder for Mayor Thorley to generate any interest in her recycled sewage project ...

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Council's 'yes' campaign strategy no. 1085 ...


See - Water Futures blog - From "Water McCarthyism" to "Shades of Nazism".

Council's last desperate act - expect level 5 water restrictions just before Referendum day ..

It will be the final trick of Mayor Thorley and her Yes campaigners.

Allowing the dams to slip below the 20% level just prior to the Referendum on 29 July.

Council's engineering services head (and currently seconded to run the Yes campaign) Kevin Flanagan indicated as much in today's Chronicle:

"Mr Flanagan reiterated to council that Toowoomba could be on Level 5 water restrictions, which bans outdoor bucketing, by late next month."

See - Chronicle - Preparing for dams drying up.

By going slow on drawing bore water, Council can artificially rundown the dams so that the 20% level is breached just in time for the Referendum, in the hope that this will scare Toowoomba residents into voting Yes.

It will be the final act of a Council desperate to hang on to Mayor Thorley's floundering Water Futures project.

Would you expect anything less from a Council whose senior members are hoping it doesn't rain in Toowoomba between now and 29 July. Where else would you find a city in drought where the Yes campaign openly admit to NOT wanting it to rain. It's shameful ...

Toowoomba Water Futures - it's time to shoot the cattle ...

... Deputy Mayor Ramia says too bad because there's no free lunch with this Council.

Article in today's Chronicle on the dilemma facing farmers whose water supply will dry up under the Water Futures project.

The article states:

Toowoomba City Council deputy mayor and water portfolio chair Joe Ramia said he sympathised with men like Mr Kath who were having to watch their properties die, but said the preciousness of water necessitated change.

"I am the first to sympathise because the water (on Gowrie Creek) has been guaranteed for the past 50 to 60 years," Cr Ramia said. "But the world has changed and water is a valuable resource."

So tough luck - don't stand in the way of Mayor Thorley's project - is the message to the farmers.

But isn't one of the Federal government funding conditions for the Water Futures project: Appropriate Gowrie-Oakey Creek system regional plans need to be prepared or existing plans modified to take into account reasonable consideration of the impact of the project on the downstream water users on Gowrie-Oakey Creek.

That seems somewhat different to Deputy Mayor Ramia's "take a hike" approach.

For the full article see - I may as well shoot all our cattle.

The article also states:

Cr Ramia said Gowrie Creek irrigators had been living off free Toowoomba water, but it was water the city could no longer afford to give away when it was also having to supply the Millmerran power station, Acland Coal as well as Hampton irrigators.

So Toowoomba City Council can no longer afford to give away water.

Is this not the basis of the Water Futures project - it's a money making exercise.

It is interesting that Deputy Mayor Ramia thinks it is necessary to supply water to Millmerran Power Station. Sources indicate that Millmerran is not currently using the recycled water from Toowoomba. It is relying on bore water.

And the need to supply water to Acland Coal is based on the premise that the Water Futures project proceeds and Acland Coal agrees to take the RO Waste stream. Toowoomba City Council currently has NO agreement with Acland Coal to supply the RO waste stream to it.

And aren't the Hampton irrigators willing to swap water for recycled sewage?

So the Deputy Mayor is making a lot of assumptions when telling the farmers to "take a hike".

Expect those farmers living within the Toowoomba city limits (and all their relatives and friends in Toowoomba) to vote No on 29 July.

You can't take such an obviously arrogant approach to this issue with complete disregard to one of the Federal government's stated funding conditions and expect people to happily vote Yes.

Unless perhaps you're living in "Thorley world" ...

More example woes for Toowoomba City Council - Namibia moves towards desalination ...

It's been on again and off again but it seems it's on again.

Namibia, home to one of Toowoomba City Council's prime recycled sewage examples in Windhoek (although suffering from operational problems) is planning a desalination plant for its coastal communities:

See - Plans for desalination plant at coast back on - 26 May 2006.

See also the interview in March 2006 with the NamWater CEO who stated that they "have been looking at desalination to ensure that new developments are in a position to start".

- NamWater CEO interview - 23 March 2006

Surely if its recycled sewage project was such a hit, it would be planning more recycled sewage plants.

It seems not ...

Monday, June 19, 2006

Mayor Thorley - the No campaign's secret weapon ...

Coming soon ...

Beattie blame game - Feds get the blame for Toowoomba's recycled sewage dilemma ...

Premier Beattie and DNRM&W Minister Palaszczuk have released a joint statement which lays the blame for Toowoomba residents needing to consider the prospect of drinking recycled sewage squarely at the feet of the Federal government.

An excerpt:

2 June 2006

Joint statement on recycled water in Queensland

...

"The Toowoomba Water Futures proposal has the support of the three levels of government but the Federal Government has made no commitment to fund any other options for Toowoomba."

Some serious buck passing is happening. Just wait until after 29 July.

The press release goes on to state:

"The State Opposition appears to have the same policy as the Queensland Government."

"The Opposition water policy released this month states that 'recycled water should be reserved for industrial and irrigation uses before any consideration is given to its reintroduction into drinking water supplies'."


So the Beattie government has also decided it should poach the Coalition's views on recycled water prior to the election ...

Read the full press release - Joint statement on recycled water in Queensland.

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Is RO technology out of date ...

New technology which offers the prospect of cutting the cost of desalination by 75%.

"A water desalination system using carbon nanotube-based membranes could significantly reduce the cost of purifying water from the ocean. The technology could potentially provide a solution to water shortages both in the United States, where populations are expected to soar in areas with few freshwater sources, and worldwide, where a lack of clean water is a major cause of disease."

See - Are carbon nanotube-based membranes the future?

Council's Kleinschmidt goes online to defend Water Futures project ...

Council's lab guy, Alan Kleinschmidt, has gone online to defend the Water Futures project.

See - RO is NOT the way of the future.

And - Kleinschmidt response.

And - More questions for Kleinschmidt.

And - Further questons for Kleinschmidt.

It is interesting that Alan Kleinschmidt and the Toowoomba City Council not only need to defend their project in the face of criticism from those they call "the flat-earthers". Seems there are industry concerns as well.

His next response is eagerly awaited ...

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Council's 'yes' campaign strategy no. 887 ...

Friday, June 16, 2006

Water debate 'already hurting city' ...

From the Chronicle (annotated):

Water debate 'already hurting city'

16 June 2006

Water Futures opponent Clive Berghofer said a drop in Toowoomba's rental market and a slowdown in construction was attributable to the prospect of recycling water for drinking.

Asked if the rental market drop could be as a result of a general drop in rental markets throughout Australia, Mr Berghofer said Brisbane's rental market had not dropped and where it was near impossible to rent a home.
[Note - similar to Brisbane, Sydney rental vacancy levels are at record lows.]

He said he rang a national pipe supplier recently to be told Toowoomba sales had dropped.

"They said they're flat strap except for Toowoomba.

Construction has just stopped in Toowoomba.

Asked why national retailers Fantastic Furniture, Coles and Woolworths had committed to new Toowoomba and Highfields stores where recycling was proposed, Mr Berghofer said those deals had started before recycling was proposed.


"You can't pull out of some of those things because a lot of work goes into doing it and you just can't back pedal."

Mr Berghofer said local abattoirs were worried.

"What is it going to do the food industry?" he said.

"How are we going to sell our beef to Japan?


"With the slightest bit of contamination they will condemn the whole container load.

"Japanese are absolutely paranoid about recycled water. "What's it going to do to jobs?"

Mr Berghofer said people were frightened of speaking out against the recycling proposal.

"They're frightened of criticism they are going to get from various organisations and newspapers and things.

"They tell us (the No campaign) they want to give us money but are scared to open their mouths themselves.

"I'm one of the silly few who will speak their mind."

He said many organisations and individuals in favour of recycling for drinking had a financial interest in its success.


Source - the Chronicle - Water debate 'already hurting city'.


Mayor Thorley should be addressing the concerns of businesses and the community. At the few meetings she has attended, she says nothing, refusing to answer questions. Then she skips off to another conference. (Mayor Thorley's next conference appearance is next Monday.)

The Mayor was elected to represent the people.

Unfortunately the position of Mayor seems to have been vacant for some time ...

Toowoomba City Council ties itself in knots ..

If you look at one of the Council's justifications for forcing Toowoomba residents to drink recycle sewage and then look at one of the reasons that an alternative can't be adopted, you'd be forgiven for being more than a little confused.

To explain:

The Water Futures PR campaign relies heavily on unplanned potable reuse to justify its recycled sewage project for Toowoomba.

The Council's Water Futures website states:

Toowoomba discharges into Gowrie Ck, which flows into the Condamine River.

Dalby takes some water from the Condamine, and discharges treated wastewater into the Condamine.

Chinchilla takes water from the Condamine downstream of Dalby.

See - Water Futures confusion.

Unplanned indirect potable reuse is generally considered "bad science" and a practice not to be followed.

In fact, aren't Dalby and Chinchilla working towards using gas water as the main water supply for each town?

Doesn't Dalby have State and Federal government funding for an innovative project to use the gas water for the town's water supply and use recycled sewage for the town's parks and gardens?

Isn't there a NWC funding application by Qld Gas Corp to create a similar situation for Chinchilla's water supply?

So it seems the Water Futures website is misleading as it conveniently ignores the facts - Dalby and Chinchilla are adopting gas water technology to solve their water source issues.

Now here's how the Council really gets itself in a knot:

It ignores Chinchilla adopting gas water in order to use unplanned potable reuse as a justification for the Water Futures project but on the same page uses Chinchilla's use of the gas water as a reason that Toowoomba can't gain access to this water.

"Queensland Gas Company has a potential 3000-5000ML per year of water available as a by-product of coal seam gas production at Chinchilla. This is not enough to meet Toowoomba’s needs, and Chinchilla will also need this water."

You can't have an each way bet.

Either Chinchilla is going to use the gas water (in which case the unplanned reuse argument doesn't work) or it's not going to use the gas water (in which case Toowoomba could access the water).

The problem is that the Toowoomba City Council spends so much time thinking up reasons not to adopt the other water source options, they tie themselves up in knots and then put in on the rather misleading Water Futures website for everyone to see ...

Minister Palaszczuk - "I haven't seen that report in quite a while" ...

Is the Minister referring to the missing hydrology reports for Toowoomba's three dams?

Not this time.

He was being quizzed about a report by engineering consultancy firm GHD which placed the site for the Traveston Dam below three other regions but couldn't name the other sites.

He said: "I can't remember off hand," he said. "I haven't seen that report in quite a while."

Expect it would be the same response if he was quizzed about the missing hydrology reports.

Premier Beattie seems to have skipped town at just the right time, leaving it to Minister Palaszczuk to explain that the proposed site for the Traveston Crossing Dam wall would have to be "realigned" after preliminary drilling found the area unstable.

Acting Premier Anna Bligh then revealed that the original "footprint" for Traveston Crossing Dam may be reduced slightly as a result of the tests.

Minister Palaszczuk then recalled a bit more about the GHD report:

"I think if we have a look at the sites that they investigated, I think Traveston and Tilly were around about number four and number five as the preferred sites, so they're right up there."

Source - Courier Mail - Changes anger residents.

Amazing!

Do you get the feeling that the Traveston Dam, like the Toowoomba Water Futures project, was not the best thought through project ever to hit the government project lists ...

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Why Toowoomba City Council will need a "No Drugs Down the Drain" campaign ...

There are many things that the Toowoomba City Council has not yet considered as part of its Water Futures project.

Each one will add to the cost of the overall project.

If the Yes vote succeeds and Council can meet the other conditions attached to the Federal funding (assuming the Federal funding is not cut once the missing hydrology report scandal deepens), they will need a campaign to educate the Toowoomba residents not to put drugs down the drain.

The US has such a campaign (the website is sponsored by Orange County Sanitation District, the city of Los Angeles, the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles and the City of San Diego).

Why do they need one?

What are the impacts on human health and the environment?

"This is a complex issue and the level of risk to humans and the environment is still being determined. There are tens of thousands of medicinal products on the market with more being developed each year. It is not definitively known which particular medicinal compounds or mixtures of these are a problem or what the long-term risks are. However, research is ongoing and, in the meantime, it is prudent to limit the disposal of waste medications to the sewer in order to minimize the potential negative and irreversible impacts on the environment."

Source - No Drugs Down the Drain.

Will the Toowoomba City Council use this language in their campaign to stop drugs going down the drain? It is somewhat inconsistent with their Water Futures promotional material ...

Greens' Drew Hutton falls for the RO glossy pics ...

The Greens have declared that drinking recycled water is the alternative to building Beattie's dams.

It's a pity they couldn't get their facts straight:

"Reverse osmosis membranes have pores that will allow only water molecules to pass through. If a water molecule was the size of a ping pong ball, a hormone molecule would be the size of a football, a virus the size of a truck and a bacterium the size of a house."

Source - Greens - No dams - recycled water or dams?

Nice try but even the Toowoomba City Council now admits that the RO membranes don't just permit pure water to pass through - there's the 30mgs/l of TDS to deal with.

Seems the Greens have been looking at the old brochures of the Toowoomba Water Futures project.

Following the release under the FOI Act of the Water Futures NWC funding application, Toowoomba City Council were forced into an embarrassing admission that their brochures (sourced from the Singapore NEWater project) were misleading.

Now if only the Greens could get their facts right.

As highlighted in the response to Senator Bartlett's comments:

Why is it that the only alternative to "expensive unreliable destructive dams" is forcing people to drink recycled sewage?

Why can't recycled sewage be used for non-potable uses?

Read the comments in the recent NSW Parliamentary Committee report which discuss this issue (NSW Parliamentary Committee Inquiry Report - 8 June 2006).

Why can't we establish a water grid in South East Qld that includes Toowoomba?

Why can't the gas water which is being utilized in Dalby and Chinchilla be part of that solution?

Why can't more new land subdivisions be required to use dual pipe (or purple pipe) systems? Look at the examples around Melbourne (see - South East Water video). It is not part of the Toowoomba Water Futures plan (as set out in the NWC application) other than a reference to new subdivisions in Highfields which is in Crows Nest shire.

It seems odd that the only alternative to the dams is to force people to drink recycled sewage when there are other uses for it.

When Mayor Thorley is planning to continue to use bore water to water Toowoomba's parks and gardens (while forcing Toowoomba residents to drink a 25-29% recycled sewage mix that even the Council's own advisers think is "high by international standards"), you can see why many people in Toowoomba think that her floundering recycled sewage project makes no sense ...

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Councillor Alroe - prankster at heart ...

In last Friday's Chronicle, Councillor Michele Alroe apparently made the following suggestion:

"Cr Michele Alroe proved her water moderation by suggesting council also encourage homes with old single flush toilets to place a brick in the bowl."

Do you think she meant "a brick in the cistern"?

Will people all over Toowoomba take the good Councillor's advice and break their toilets by dropping a brick in the bowl? Will they seek compensation?

Even Premier Beattie will now offer dual flush toilet rebates. Toowoomba City Council's approach - no rebate - just use a brick.

Some witty souls would suggest that several 'bricks' get placed in the bowl eat day ...

Councillor annoyed at anonymous letters ...

Councillor Michele Alroe is annoyed at certain anonymous abusive letters allegedly received by several Councillors.

From the Chronicle:

"But to resort to this rubbish is really inappropriate. The most offensive thing is that people would send this sort of thing unsigned – I would have had enormous respect if people would put a signature to it," she said.

Source - the Chronicle - unsigned letters.

While not condoning the practice of sending unsigned abusive letters to Councillors who support Mayor Thorley's controversial recycled sewage project, it raises a couple of interesting points.

Would the Councillor have raised the matter if the letter had not related to the Water Futures project (such as the Council's parking changes)? Council is keen to tarnish the NO voters in any way they can.

Is it therefore acceptable when an (unnamed) Councillor leaves abusive telephone messages for people opposing the recycled sewage project because that Councillor actually left their name and so is very easily identified (as if the voice didn't give it away)?

Interesting ending to the Chronicle article:

The council's $480,000 campaign to promote the "Yes" case has been gaining momentum with an extensive advertising program, water tasting sessions and water forums which last weekend attracted fewer than 100 people. The unfunded "No" case proponents – driven by the three opposing councillors, Lyle Shelton, Keith Beer and Graham Barron – have been seeking free print and air space to dispute the "Yes" claims.

The Yes Campaign is apparently "gaining" momentum but their weekend sessions attracted "less than 100 people".

Actually, the ratepayer funded Yes campaign relies on $460,000 of ratepayers' funds (although this ignores the other amounts spent by Mayor Thorley on consultants, videos, the $41,000 Water Book and the cost of all her trips to conferences to promote the recycled sewage industry).

Interesting ...

Recycled sewage debate - this Friday 16 June ...

Hosted by the Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce

The Great Water Debate: Is Recycling Good for Business?

Will Australians stop eating products made in Toowoomba?

Will it bring jobs or cost jobs?

Will there be an influx of new business because of [a so-called] reliable water source?

Will it bring prosperity or send businesses to the wall?


Date: Friday 16 June 2006
Time: 6.45am for 7am
Venue: Cathedral Centre (123 Neil Street)

For more details, see - Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce website.

Also see - the Chronicle - Chamber hosts recycling debate.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Cloud seeding - magic solution or myth ...

Article in today's Chronicle regarding the use of cloud seeding to produce rain for Toowoomba's catchment areas.

Regardless of your views, Mr Gingis seems to have a particular dislike of the Toowoomba Water Futures project and the Toowoomba City Council:

An excerpt:

This "cloud-seeding", he said, would be a cheaper, more environmentally friendly and practical solution to Toowoomba's water crisis than installing a reverse osmosis plant to recycle sewage.

In fact, Mr Gingis slammed Toowoomba City Council's $68 million Water Futures project as a "joke" not only because it was "unnecessary", but because Toowoomba did not have the dam capacity from which to recycle.

...

"Toowoomba has only itself to blame for voting in incompetent fools," he said. "It's an absolute disgrace that they have had no time to look at this, an alternative."

Source - Chronicle - NASA knows why it is not raining.

Toowoomba City Council not looking at a suggested alternative to Mayor Thorley's Water Futures project? Who would have thought ...

ABC's Landline report ...

Excerpt from the Landline report:

Claims water restrictions cutting jobs

11 June 2006

SALLY SARA: Toowoomba is the second biggest inland city in Australia after Canberra. It proudly calls itself the Garden City. The trouble is, Toowoomba is running out of water. Now the residents are getting ready for a referendum on whether to recycle sewage into drinking water.

DIANNE THORLEY: Well, it has never been done for Federal Government funding since Federation, for any local government, and we cannot find where any water project in the whole of the world has had to go to a poll. So it's quite interesting that we've been put into this position.

SALLY SARA: Toowoomba's mayor is pushing the recycling plan. She says the city doesn't have any choice because there is simply not enough water to go around.

DIANNE THORLEY: I believe it's going to get worse, and I look at some of the smaller places. I mean, if we end up using all our surface water, we go and ruin what's underneath, where are our great-grandkids going to be? Are they ever going to see rural Australia as I saw it?

SALLY SARA: Rosemary Morley is a local business operator leading the campaign against the recycling proposal. She says the plan would damage Toowoomba's reputation and make it hard for companies to do business.

ROSEMARY MORLEY: Absolutely. We are the lab rats for Australia, I call us. And it's a political push. While Beattie is determined to put dams for the Brisbane area, he is also determined to support the mayor in her project to bring this crazy scheme to this city.

SALLY SARA: Water has become the number one political issue in Toowoomba. It seems dry times are creating deep divisions.

ROSEMARY MORLEY: I'm very strong. I'd have to be, because I have people on the other side calling us flat earthers and all sorts of terrible names, but I believe we have researched this subject and we absolutely know, because there are no guidelines in Australia for us to go down this road, that Toowoomba doesn't need to do it.

Read the full transcript - Landline - claims water restrictions cutting jobs.


Arguably, the Mayor's comment that Toowoomba doesn't have any other choice is a false and misleading statement ...

Sewage on agenda for dams ...

Brisbane residents should be aware of what is planned for Brisbane dams:

From the Courier Mail:

Sewage on agenda for dams

... pumping recycled treated sewage into the Somerset or Wivenhoe dam was part of the strategy of keeping dam levels at 10 per cent.

Source - Courier Mail - Sewage on agenda for dams.

Monday, June 12, 2006

Mayor Thorley's own "watergate" ...

The issue that refuses to go away.

The missing Department of Natural Resources, Mines & Water hydrology report - the one that forms the basis of the Water Futures project and the Toowoomba City Council's NWC application.

From the Chronicle:

Mrs Morley said that in the video which was presented it had stated the proposal was based on a Department of Natural Resources report.

"I asked for that report to be made public," she said.

"But they do not have the report."

Source - Chronicle - missing DNRM&W report.

The problem is - the Council don't have the report and haven't seen it - the DNRM&W don't have it. And yet it was used as the basis for asking the Federal government for funding.

If Mayor Thorley and the Toowoomba City Council are to have any remaining credibility with the people of Toowoomba, they should produce the report.

That is, if it exists at all.

But if it doesn't exist, that would mean the fundamental basis for the Water Futures project is a lie and the Federal government funding application was false and misleading.

No wonder the Toowoomba City Council tries to ignore this issue. A non-existent report would mean some tough questions being asked down in Canberra ...

Premier Beattie proposes water grid ...

... but will it include Toowoomba?

Excerpt from ABC News:

Govt proposes solution to south-east Qld water crisis

11 June 2006

Premier Peter Beattie says the Queensland Government is planning a pipeline network that will aim to fix the south-east's water shortage.

Despite much-needed rain providing some relief in regional Queensland, the water crisis remains, with rain having no impact on Wivenhoe, Somerset and North Pine dams.

The dams have dropped to 30 per cent capacity and level three water restrictions were enacted yesterday and will take effect on Tuesday.

People in south-east Queensland will only be allowed to use buckets to water their gardens under the latest restrictions.

Mr Beattie says although the Government has a broad strategy to address the water crisis, more rains are the key.

"We cannot make it rain - I wish we could," Mr Beattie said.

"So what we are going to do is have a water grid similar to an electricity grid and that means a pipeline network that will take water from one part of the state, particularly the south-east corner of the state to another."

Source - ABC News - Govt proposes solution to south-east Qld water crisis.

Qld Govt slow to address water crisis: Opposition ...

Excerpt from ABC News:

Qld Govt slow to address water crisis: Opposition

12 June 2006

The Queensland Opposition says an incentives scheme for water saving devices should have been introduced more than a year ago.

Premier Peter Beattie yesterday announced an extra $67 million in rebates for rainwater tanks, dual flush toilets and water efficient washing machines.

The Premier also yesterday announced $10 million to build a new water research facility at Griffith University on the Gold Coast.

"We'll provide incentives for people to reduce the amount of water that they're using," Mr Beattie said.

"There'll be $150 for dual flush toilets, including installation. There'll be $500 installation for grey water recycling systems. There'll be $1,000 for rainwater tank installations on minimum-sized tanks."

Level three water restrictions take effect in the south-east from tomorrow, but the rebates will not be available until July 1.

But Liberal leader Bob Quinn says the Government should have acted sooner.

"Something that should have happened 12 to 18 months ago when this was on the horizon," he said.

"We see a Premier and an ALP Government that's moving desperately at the very last moment to do something about conserving water in the south-east corner."

Source - ABC News - Qld Govt slow to address water crisis: Opposition.

Council's Water Forums ...

Success or failure - you be the judge:

Chronicle article - about 90 people attended

Water Futures blog - 65 people - less the Councillors and 'champions'

Whether it was 65 or 90 (less Councillors, presenters and 'champions'), it shows that Toowoomba residents are not really interested in listening and watching their ratepayer money getting burned in Mayor Thorley's ratepayer funded $460,000 advertising campaign.

Toowoomba residents have generally made up their minds already.

Mayor Thorley's actions - in promoting a biased referendum question and in granting herself $460,000 of ratepayers' funds to fund her Yes campaign while giving $Nil to the No campaign just alienated more voters.

When the referendum is all said and done, it is hoped that someone will calculate the "Thorley factor" - what percentage of the No votes were attributable to Toowoomba residents being fed up with her tactics and her approach to community engagement.

Perhaps someone should tell Mayor Thorley that the conference attendees on the Sunshine Coast don't get to vote in the referendum ....

Blog wars, threatening phone calls - Toowoomba Water Futures ...

From the Courier Mail (emphasis added):

Waste not, water not

10 June 2006

Toowoomba is the first battleground in the recycled water debate, writes Brendan O’Malley

Blog wars, threatening phone calls, fiery debates in the council chambers. Welcome to the countdown to Toowoomba’s referendum on recycled drinking water.

For a city with a well-earned reputation for restrained, conservative values, life has suddenly become far more controversial since the community started grappling with the concept of pumping treated sewage into its main dam.

The debate gathered pace a fortnight ago when the council, led by Mayor Di Thorley, started a $460,000 ratepayer-funded advertising campaign which in the next seven weeks will splurge almost $7000 a day trying to convince 60,000 residents — many deeply conservative people from rural backgrounds — to become guinea pigs in the world’s most ambitious wastewater recycling scheme.

Opposition to the proposal is relying on a blog campaign, petitions and public meetings, one of which attracted 1000 people.

If a majority vote 'yes' on July 29, the equivalent of up to 11,000 Olympic swimming pools a year of sewage will be passed through a series of filters and ultraviolet disinfection equipment, pumped back into Cooby Dam, treated again and then sent flowing into kitchen taps, water fountains, showers and restaurants.

One drop out of every four will be recycled —25 times the level of the water in Singapore, the only other major urban area where wastewater is pumped directly into dams. And it will cost ratepayers $18 million for the privilege of reusing what they flushed down the toilet.

If the vote is 'no', then water charges could rise ninefold, Thorley warns, because the council simply cannot borrow the $69 million she says is needed for its share of the cost of building a pipeline to Wivenhoe Dam, the next most viable option.

Instead, the State Government would have to step in, forcing Toowoomba to buy water from it at bulk rates of between $3 and $5 for every 100 litres.

"We have to do something. What is my city doing carting buckets to water the garden? We’re not in the Third World," she said.

A Council study estimated the cost of alternatives other than recycling — bores tapping the Condamine River system; water from a coal seam gas plant near Chinchilla; swapping water with cotton farmers or damming Emu Creek — were too expensive.

Opponents within and outside council, including the Chamber of Commerce and Toowoomba’s wealthiest man Clive Berghofer say the proposal is potentially unsafe, unable to provide the city with enough water either in the short term or in 10 years, and is bad for the town’s public perception.

It is a quandary the rest of southeast Queensland will face if there is no significant rain in the Wivenhoe catchment next summer.

Premier Peter Beattie conceded last week that although topping up Wivenhoe was not government policy, it did remain an 'Armageddon solution', prompting a relieved Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman to say that 'the bogey man' was now out.

Newman’s water spokesman, Jane Prentice, said the Brisbane City Council’s priority was to provide recycled water for business users.

It planned to double the capacity of its reverse osmosis recycling facility at Brisbane’s Luggage Point sewage treatment plant and build new RO facilities at nearby Gibson Island and Wynnum treatment plants.

Most of the water would go to the Trade Coast precinct near the Brisbane Airport, the Swanbank, Tarong and Tarong North power stations and Brisbane Airport. "That still leaves us with 100 million litres of class A water from Luggage Point," Prentice said. "The longer-term suggestion is that should be connected to the Western Corridor pipeline, but if you’re going to pipe water (from there) into Wivenhoe, there are six councils using it, so it’s not just our decision."

Nothing will happen soon.

Toowoomba’s proposal does not come on line until 2011 at the earliest and it normally takes 18 months to build a reverse osmosis plant, so even industrial users in Brisbane will have to wait.

The first step, however, is winning over the public, which is why all eyes are on Toowoomba.

"I grew up on an orchard at Eukey, and some of my earliest memories are filling up kerosene tins from the creek and pulling them back up to the farm on a sled behind the horse," Thorley says. "Many people here have close ties to the land . . . you only have to drive five minutes and you’re in the country. I have faith this community will make the right decision."

Although the council has done private polling Cr Thorley is giving nothing away on how feeling is running.

She has a lot riding on the issue considering she wants to run for mayor again. She doesn’t rise to the bait when asked if other southeast Queensland land mayors and Premier Beattie have left her to make the running. Her council’s engineering director Kev Flanagan backs her up: "Di is carrying the load for the whole of Australia. Everybody is watching this referendum."

Thorley concedes it was a smart political move by local federal member, Ian Macfarlane, to ask Canberra to make a $23 million Commonwealth grant underwriting the project conditional on a referendum.

Whichever way the vote goes, Macfarlane can say it was not his fault.

He was a supporter until late August because the council assured him it had community support.

That was when the Citizens Against Drinking Sewage lobby group handed over the biggest petition he has ever seen.

"When 8000 signatures land on your desk it cements the view I’ve been getting that people have questions," he said. "This is four to five times as big as any petition I’ve seen in Toowoomba. As the local representative I can’t just blow that away and the risk we take is if the council is thrown out in 2008 we’re left with a white elephant."

Flanagan defends the council’s report into the alternatives, saying it was peer-reviewed by the Department of Natural Resources and Mines and independently costed.

He has had teams out drilling into the basalt aquifer under the city but says groundwater levels have been dropping since the 1960s, while Toowoomba’s position at the top of the Great Dividing Range makes pumping water from Emu Creek, Wivenhoe, or coal seam and bore sources north of the city prohibitively expensive.

He also has no doubts about the safety of recycled water, handing over a bottle of Singapore water for a taste test (it looks and smells good, but the taste is unusual for anyone used to chlorinated water).

Wastewater experts at The University of Queensland and interstate backed him up, telling The Courier-Mail there were so many layers in the purification process a failure effectively was impossible.

Anti-recycling campaigner Snow Manners, who claims to have done his own polling, is predicting a resounding 'no' vote.

"There is little economic sense in it, there have been no proper independent reports into the alternatives and they’re talking about closing Cooby Dam to fishing. This idea is full of holes."

Manners claimed the council had lost the plot on the issue.

He says he received a phone message threatening to extract 'an for an eye and a tooth for tooth'.

CADS spokeswoman Rosemary Morley also received a message warning her if she kept 'throwing rocks' they might fall on her head.

The debate has also created tensions within council.

Councillors could not even agree the wording of the referendum question, which now reads: 'Do you support the addition of purified recycled water to Toowoomba’s water supply via Cooby Dam proposed by Water Futures Toowoomba?'

"The question is rigged. People should be asked if they are in favour of recycling drinking water from the Wetalla wastewater plant but our amendment was voted down," Cr Lyle Shelton says.

"I’m very worried the community feeling is going with the council because of the misinformation in its education campaign, which is actually promotion of their yes case."

"Toowoomba has every option Brisbane has, including taking water from Wivenhoe which is only 30km from Cressbrook Dam, we just haven’t been told that."

The man who pushed through Cressbrook, Clive Berghofer, is not impressed with recycling either.

"People are already calling us Peewoomba. This is all about perception and those kind of perceptions can do a lot of harm," says Berghofer.

"It’s more than drinking it. The kids have to bath in it, you have to cook in it and we’ve got companies like Weis Icecreams and KR Darling Downs which will use this water."

"They’ve got competitors who could use it against them and customers in Japan who are very sensitive about chemicals."

The man on Australia’s top-200 rich list denies he has his own commercial interests in mind.

"I’m worth $280 million. I don’t care if I make another dollar."

In the meantime life without rain goes on.

A road sign on the outskirts of Toowoomba reminds people about Level Four water restrictions, as if anyone needs reminding out here.

People like pensioner Betty Sullivan, 77, and her daughter Debra Twidale continue to lug heavy buckets of water to their plants in an effort to keep them going.

By August even that will be illegal.

"We’re not entering the Carnival of Flowers this year. It was too much work last year for Mum, she was carrying 220 buckets a day," Debra says, surveying her front yard.

Maybe Toowoomba will have to stop calling itself the Garden City.

Noosa dam MP - "between a rock and a hard place" (updated) ...

More on the difficulties of being a Qld Labor MP and the sitting member of an electorate where Premier Beattie wants to put one of his dams.

See - Courier Mail - Malloy's last stand.

Also see -

I'm ashamed of my government.

Beattie disendorses rebel backbencher.

Malloy dumped.

Meanwhile, Premier Beattie jets off to Russia and China. In search of more doctors perhaps? Or part of the great farewell tour ...

Saturday, June 10, 2006

Using recycled sewage for non-potable use ...

... like making snow:

Excerpt from News.com.au

Resort turns sewage to snow

From AAP

By Catherine Best and Jane Williams

10 June 2006

...

Victoria's Mount Hotham will become the first ski resort in the world to recycle its own sewage as artificial snow, using technology which could save 110 million litres of water a year.

The first stage of the $8.4 million sewage and waste water project – a 27 million litre reservoir – was opened today.

Water from Swindler's Creek has been pumped into the reservoir and will be pumped on to the resort's snow-making facilities to replace the 110 megalitres of potable water used to make up 275,000 cubic metres of snow each season.

...

Victoria's Deputy Premier and Environment Minister John Thwaites, who was at Mr Hotham to launch of stage one of the recycling program, said the system would increase water flow through the creek and promote healthy waterways throughout the Upper Murray Catchment.

"Using recycled water as a substitute for potable water is an effective way to protect Victoria's water supplies against the projected shortfall caused by climate change and population growth," Mr Thwaites said.

Source - News.com.au - Resort turns sewage to snow.

Senator Bartlett's comments on the Toowoomba sewage water debate ...

Senator Bartlett sees the Toowoomba referendum as a crucial test for recycled sewage for drinking in Queensland and Australia.

He favours a recycled sewage ad campaign along the lines of "sink more piss".

[Note: a certain Senator thinks this misrepresented his views although, in the comment he left, he seems to be relying on the "bad science" argument of unplanned indirect potable reuse as justification for Toowoomba residents drinking recycled sewage. His original blog comment was - "I always figured young lads could be targeted by just selling it like beer advertisements, some of which don’t seem to be much more subtle than a slogan like ‘sink more piss’ anyway. However, I take Dr Williams’ point that this may not work for others."]

See - Bartlett blog - Water off a Premier's back?

Not sure Mayor Thorley needs this sort of help with her floundering recycled sewage project ...

Friday, June 09, 2006

Council's unsuccessful Singapore sewer water tasting sessions ...

... now called "water forums".

Time to rebrand the fairly unsuccessful "tasting sessions" as "water forums".

Excerpt from WIN News:

WATER DEBATE LAUNCH

Water forums

Toowoomba City Council is hosting two water forums this weekend, to answer questions about the Water Futures recycling proposal.


Mayor Di Thorley says the forums will provide an opportunity for people who are undecided to have their questions answered.

Source - WIN News - Water Forums.


Might as well call them "re-education sessions" ...

Politics - Beattie style ...

Extraordinary behaviour in State parliament yesterday over the dams issue:

Excerpt from the Courier Mail:

Cate changes to pro-dam

9 June 2006

The debacle began in Parliament on Wednesday night, when Ms Molloy voted with the Government to defeat an Opposition motion opposing the dam.

But yesterday morning she told ABC Radio she had acted like a "coward" and would vote against any future motions supporting a dam on the Mary River.

The Opposition seized on these comments and when Parliament resumed it called for another vote.

When the division began, Ms Molloy seemed confused as other Labor backbenchers including Ipswich MP Rachel Nolan, Aspley MP Bonny Barry, Hervey Bay's Andrew McNamara and Yeerongpilly's Simon Finn rushed towards her, effectively surrounding her and grabbing her arms as they appeared to talk her out of crossing the floor.

The Noosa MP was then reportedly given a private dressing down by Ms Barry and Deputy Premier Anna Bligh before it was announced she would meet with Mr Beattie to discuss the issue.

Source - Courier Mail - Cate changes to pro-dam.


Opposing Premier Beattie is a clearly a difficult thing - if you are one of his MPs ...

Just released - NSW Parliamentary Committee Inquiry Report into a sustainable water supply for Sydney ...

Some familiar faces and some interesting comments.

Read it here - NSW Parliamentary Committee Inquiry Report - 8 June 2006.

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Another engineer says we should drink recycled sewage ...

... but let's just change the name first.

Opinion piece in today's Courier Mail by a senior lecturer at Griffith University. He is directing his comments at the Brisbane and State politician level rather than focusing on the Toowoomba debate - which is fortunate because Toowoomba residents have heard the "science spin" before.

An excerpt (annotated):

"Philip Williams says we need to find a new name for recycled water before it's too late."

Too late for what?

"Reverse osmosis only lets water molecules through the membrane. At this stage, it is pure water, and has long since lost any hint of its origin."

The lecturer has been looking at too many brochures from the NEWater facility in Singapore. Even the Toowoomba City Council now concedes that not only water gets through the membranes - there's also the 30mgs/l of TDS.

"If we were to take this path, there inevitably would be people who could not contemplate drinking the water or using it for cooking. There is always bottled water for the tiny amount of water for personal use. "

Big mistake - adopting Mayor Thorley's "you can drink it or buy bottled water" approach to community engagement just will not work.

"Perhaps as a starting point when talking about water recycling, we should drop all references to "sewage", "effluent", "toilets" and so on and come up with a suitable name for our own recycled pure water."

Again, the reference to "pure water".

Toowoomba City Council wants to introduce "Thorley Water" so perhaps it could be called "Beattie Bitter" or "Palaszczuk not quite Pure".

Renaming recycled sewage water to something innocuous will not fool the public. Another mistake - treat the public as stupid - if we change the name, they'll forget what it is.

"We need a sensible debate on water recycling without any more scaremongering."

No argument there - one of the problems with Mayor Thorley's floundering recycled sewage project has been Toowoomba City Council's steadfast refusal to engage in any form of sensible debate.

Source - Courier Mail - Wash away our fears.

The Courier Mail has also commenced a blog - a new name for water - which makes the following point:

"So why do people think that raw water in a dam is better than this. The dam water may contain lots of nasties like cow dung, pesticides and poorly treated wastewater from other towns. By piping recycled pure water into the dam we would be improving water quality, not degrading it. And then of course, it would all be treated again at a water treatment plant before getting to our taps."

Source - Courier Mail blog - A new name for water blog -(with moderated comments section!)

It's surprising how quickly they jumped to the apple and oranges comparison - recycled water is clean - dam water is full of cow dung, pesticides and poorly treated wastewater.

Using scare tactics like this has been one of the approaches of the Toowoomba City Council and its "champions". At least the blog comment acknowledges that the water would be treated again - something which is often omitted from similar comments in the Toowoomba debate.

Anyone attempting to comment on the use of recycled sewage in Brisbane should at least try to learn from the mistakes of Toowoomba City Council ...

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Premier Beattie backs away from recycled sewage for drinking (update) ...

Comments by Premier Beattie in State parliament yesterday:

"... I want to ensure that the people of Queensland are clear on my government's stance on the use of recycled water. It has never been the state government's policy to pump recycled water into dams. We are actively supporting the use of recycled water for industry. If there is a surplus, we will free it up for agricultural use, possibly in the Lockyer."

Now, Toowoomba is still in Queensland and Cooby Dam is still a dam.

Premier Beattie then goes on to say:

"I repeat: using recycled water for drinking is not my government's policy."

Then perhaps remembering that Toowoomba is still in Queensland, Cooby Dam is still a dam and Mayor Thorley's controversial project didn't just suddenly disappear, Premier Beattie continues:

"No recycled water will be used to replenish dams in Queensland until all other options are exhausted and the people using the water have had their say."

Perhaps he thinks the DNRM&W 'quick and dirty' review of Toowoomba's water source options counts as "all other options being exhausted" and the referendum being the opportunity for "people to have their say". He's right on the latter point.

Source - Qld Parliament Hansard - 6 June 2006 - pages 2159-2160.

Where this leaves Mayor Thorley's floundering recycled sewage project really is anybody's guess.

Note that Premier Beattie stated that "[n]o recycled water will be used to replenish dams in Queensland until all other options are exhausted and the people using the water have had their say."

In March 2006, Premier Beattie assured the Toowoomba community that Toowoomba wouldn't run dry:

From WIN News (13 March 2006):

Toowoomba won't run dry

Queensland Premier Peter Beattie has given assurances Toowoomba won't run dry if the Federal Government rejects the water futures project. Mr Beattie confirming he's discussing water initiatives with the Mayor ...

See - Premier Beattie examining other options.

Also see - There are other options.

It looks like those other options haven't been "exhausted" ...

Beattie airs opposition to recycled drinking water ...

From ABC News:

7 June 2006

Beattie airs opposition to recycled drinking water

Opponents of Toowoomba's water recycling project say the Queensland Premier has shown commonsense by ruling out a similar project in Brisbane.

Peter Beattie says south-east Queenslanders will not be drinking recycled water unless there is no other option, describing a plan to pump sewer water into Wivenhoe Dam as an "Armageddon scenario".

Toowoomba residents will go to the polls next month to decide if the council should recycle effluent for the city's drinking supplies.

Citizens Against Drinking Sewage spokeswoman Rosemary Morley says what is good for Brisbane should also be good for the 'Garden City'.

"We're not in an Armageddon situation, it would be so if you believe them, but we have three other options that they know and our council absolutely know and I would say most people in Toowoomba would now know that we do not have to go down this road," she said.

Toowoomba's deputy Mayor says he is unfazed by the Premier's comments.

Joe Ramia says Toowoomba is in a unique situation.

"Behind Toowoomba there is a queue of councils and states and people looking at what's going to happen here on the 29 of July," he said.

"If it gets up I think this is the way of the future for all of Australia because we have to learn to use water more than once and make better use of it."

Source - ABC News - Beattie airs opposition to recycled drinking water.

It is correct that there is a queue of Councils watching what happens on 29 July - mostly though they will regard the approach of the Toowoomba City Council as an example of what NOT to do.

One question Deputy Mayor Ramia - why do we have to drink recycled sewage while you pour bore water on the city's parks and gardens?

It makes no sense and that is the feeling in the community ...

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Beattie State Budget ...

Criticism of Premier Beattie and his 2006 Budget today from the Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce.

From WIN News:

But the Chamber of Commerce says it's ignored the water crisis yet again, and has lashed out at the Premier for saying drinking recycled water anywhere else in Queensland will be unlikely.

Source - WIN News - Only Toowoomba to drink recycled water

Monday, June 05, 2006

Living in "Thorley world" ...

When you live in the somewhat parallel world of Mayor Thorley, you get to say anything, no matter how inaccurate it is.

For example, Mayor Thorley's comments on ABC Radio today:

MELANIE CHRISTIANSEN: If the community of Toowoomba doesn't agree to drink recycled water, Di Thorley says dry communities like hers will have few options left.

DI THORLEY: I can't see where we're going to find any of this miracle water, you know. We've decimated the underground aquifers, and that's been proven all over Australia.

Source - ABC Radio - PM - Water price hike predicted unless action taken.

Only today, the following comments were made in relation to aquifers in Western Australia:

A report by the CSIRO and Monash University says water prices will increase significantly, particularly in Perth and Brisbane if Australia's population increases by another five million people.

Professor Yorg Imberger from the Water Research Centre at the University of Western Australia says he strongly disagrees.

Professor Imberger says there is enough water in the Yarragadee aquifer to supply Perth for 1,000 years.

"I'm very surprised about it, I mean it sounds like nonsense to me actually," he said.

Source - ABC News - Expert sceptical of Perth water price rise prediction.

Sounds like a pretty misleading comment by Mayor Thorley.

Isn't Sydney relying on underground aquifers as part of its water strategy? Doesn't the Great Artesian Basin contain vast amounts of water?

Mayor Thorley also refused to be drawn on any prediction for the outcome of the 29 July referendum:

MELANIE CHRISTIANSEN: He's [Brisbane's Mayor] more interested in desalinating water to increase Brisbane's supply, while just west of Brisbane Toowoomba's Mayor, Di Thorley, is trying to convince her community of the benefits of recycling sewerage for drinking water.

It's an idea which will go to a vote in a referendum next month, but it's a vote Di Thorley isn't confident of winning.

DI THORLEY: I make no predictions on that. I… you have to leave it to a community to make that decision.

MELANIE CHRISTIANSEN: You don't have a sense of the community view?

DI THORLEY: Well, look, you know, it depends on what given day. You know, if you listen to the… if you're a person that's with the "no" vote, you would say the "no" vote's going to get up. If you're someone with the "yes" vote, you know. I mean, people will tell you what they think that they want you to hear.

So I'm quite happy to leave it to the night of the 29th.

Source - ABC Radio - PM - Water price hike predicted unless action taken.

What ever happened to "70% of Toowoomba people support the project"?

More likely than not, Toowoomba residents have already made up their minds about Mayor Thorley's controversial recycled sewage project.

It must be fun living in that parallel world where you think you can say anything you like on the Toowoomba recycled sewage debate without worrying if you are misleading the Toowoomba public:

Thorley World, Thorley World
It's Sewage Time, It's Excellent
Thorley World, Thorley World
It's Deception Time, It's Excellent
(with apologies to Wayne and Garth)

Secret toilet to tap plan for SEQ water ...

Press release by Qld Coalition:

Secret toilet to tap plan for SEQ water

2 June 2006

Author/Owner: Lawrence Springborg

South-East Queensland households could be drinking recycled sewage effluent under a secret Beattie Government plan.

Queensland Coalition Leader Lawrence Springborg today demanded the Premier "come clean" on the plan.

Mr Springborg said water planning documents had identified a new, "major source addition" water supply from 2008.

"It’s now becoming apparent that ‘new’ water supply is treated sewage from Brisbane."

"Does the Beattie Government plan to use the western corridor recycled water pipeline to pump treated effluent into Somerset and Wivenhoe dams? The people of South-East Queensland deserve to be told about this plan. They deserve to have a say in this plan. But no, the Beattie Government wants none of that. It wants to keep this secret."

Mr Springborg said the recycled water going into the pipeline would be the tertiary treated effluent that is currently pumped into Moreton Bay.

"The Beattie Government told us the western corridor pipeline would be used by industry and agriculture replacing fresh water they now take from South-East Queensland’s dams. Now we learn that, it also plans to pump the same effluent into those dams."

"This is the result of eight years of Beattie Labor mismanagement and inaction. A failure to plan and build water infrastructure, which now leaves South-East Queensland in crisis," Mr Springborg said.

"It should never have been allowed to get to this."

Source - Qld Coalition press release - Secret toilet to tap plan for SEQ water.

What Toowoomba City Council should be doing ...

While the cost of retrofitting existing suburbs for dual pipe (or purple pipe) recycled water may be considered expensive or impractical, new subdivisions in Toowoomba could be required to do this.

The dual pipe approach is to be adopted by Jondaryan shire for all new subdivisions. Crows Nest shire is adopting a similar approach.

Follow the link - South East Water video - to a short presentation on the dual pipe approach used in Melbourne.

Makes you wonder why Mayor Thorley is so hell-bent on making Toowoomba residents drink recycled sewage water but proposes to continue pouring bore water on Toowoomba's parks and gardens ...

Split over water ...

Excerpt from the Courier Mail:

Split over water

By Steven Wardill

5 June 2006

ALMOST half of all Queenslanders believe the State Government has bungled the planning, management and provision of the state's dwindling water supplies.

An exclusive TNS poll conducted for The Courier-Mail has revealed 47 per cent of Queenslanders are unhappy with the Government over water.

The poll, conducted last week, shows Queensland residents dissatisfied with the Government are spread evenly between rural areas and the southeast corner.

Source - Courier Mail - Split over water.

When members of the Toowoomba public pay to get their point of view across ...

Read the advertisement placed in the Chronicle on 3 June 2006.

See - Is drinking from reclaimed sewage our water future?

Some interesting points ...

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Council and its "name and shame" tactics ...

At the Council Committee meetings to be held on 6 and 7 June 2006, Toowoomba City Council will water down its "name and shame" tactic for high water users.

High-water users will be monitored and those who do not improve will have face-to-face interviews with Council officers. They will then have 3 months to improve their water usage or they will be reported to Council.

(In a sign of complete overkill, Council has developed a "comprehensive procedure" for the process of sending a letter to high water users and requesting a meeting with them!)

No names will be published in the Chronicle without Council approval.

Seems the public outrage (and related legal issues) have curtailed Council's previous view that high water users would be quickly named and shamed ...