Melbourne says no to potable reuse ...

Excerpt from the Age:

Melburnians 'no' to recycled water

25 April 2008

Melburnians are less willing to drink recycled water than residents in other Australian capitals despite being the most concerned about water shortages, research has shown.

The findings come as an increasing number of experts urge the Brumby Government to put the drinking of recycled water back on the agenda.

National Water Commissioner Chloe Munro used a conference in Melbourne this week to renew pressure on the Government to at least investigate the concept. The research surveyed more than 3000 people from Australia's five biggest cities, and found only 12% of Melburnians were "very willing" to drink recycled water.

A further 31% said they were "quite willing", meaning that a majority were still opposed to the idea of drinking water recycled from their bathrooms, toilets and kitchens. The results put acceptance in Melbourne at only half the level of acceptance in Brisbane, where the Queensland Government has already decided to add recycled water to drinking supplies. Only Adelaide showed marginally lower acceptance for drinking recycled water than Melbourne.

After an information brochure about recycled water was presented to those surveyed, 7% of respondents from around Australia changed their response from "not willing", to "quite willing".

Recycled water is touted as a substitute for desalination, which in most cases is a more expensive and energy intensive way of sourcing water. But the study showed 70% of respondents would prefer to drink desalinated ocean water than recycled waste water. The State Government is planning to build a desalination plant near Wonthaggi, but remains firmly opposed to using recycled water for drinking.

The study was conducted by the Co-operative Research Centre for Water Quality and Treatment, an organisation set up by the Federal Government in 1995, combining the expertise of the CSIRO, governments, universities and water retailers.

Centre deputy chief executive Tony Priestley said most of the community could be persuaded to accept recycled water over time if given proper information. "It doesn't change the hardliners, you've always got that core element of 20 or 25% of the population who just won't change at all," Professor Priestley said.

The study found Melburnians were more concerned about water shortages than health services, climate change, drugs, public transport, terrorism and air pollution.

The Brumby Government will decide this year how best to use the 100 billion litres of Class A recycled water to be produced by the Eastern Treatment Plant when an upgrade is completed in 2012.

See - Melbourne says no to potable reuse.

Also see - Melbourne hits water recycling targets without potable reuse.